2024 Jim Veltman Award: Marcelo Carreiro voted 21U Rock Elite League MVP

TRAC Athletics is proud to announce the 21U Rock Elite League award winners for the league’s 2023-24 regular season and playoffs.

Team White’s Marcelo Carreiro (Orangeville Northmen/Mount St. Mary’s) takes this year’s top individual honour after being voted the 2024 Jim Veltman Award (MVP) winner. Carreiro had one of the league’s most impressive offensive campaigns ever, while also collecting this year’s Blaine Manning Award (Goals Leader) and Colin Doyle Award (Points Leader).

Carreiro became just the tenth player in 21U REL history (since the inaugural 2013-14 season) to score 50 goals in a single season. Current NLL players Ryan Smith (Rochester Knighthawks), Andrew Kew (Georgia), Jake Boudreau (Saskatchewan Rush), Jake Fox (Halifax Thunderbirds), Robert Hudson (Calgary Roughnecks) and Tanner Buck (Philadelphia Wings) are a few of the other rare REL players to score 50 in one year.

This year’s Dan Stroup Award (Playoffs MVP) goes to Team Silver’s Hunter Roy (Canisius College/Kitchener-Waterloo Lacrosse Club), who played a pivotal role in Silver’s REL Cup win over Team Carolina earlier this month, and was also voted this year’s Sandy Chapman Award (Heart & Hustle) recipient. Last summer, Roy (far left above) was also named Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 Canadian Box Showcase.

Other 2023-24 award winners have been revealed on social media (@TRACAthletics) in the days and weeks after this year’s Cup concluded.

The 21U REL Awards were established during the 2021-22 season and named in honour of Toronto Rock legends. The REL’s younger divisions also name an MVP annually.

Below, see all of this year’s 21U REL award recipients, last year’s inaugural winners, plus all of the talented players nominated for the Jim Veltman Award over the past three seasons.

21U Rock Elite League Year-End Awards

Jim Veltman Award (MVP)

2023-24: Marcelo Carreiro, Team White
2022-23: Liam Matthews, Team Silver
2021-22: Will Sheehan, Team Kri

Bob Watson Award (Goalie Team of the Year)

2023-24: Ethan Robertson & Lucas Johnston, Team Black
2022-23: Oliver Vanyo & Kieran Datars, Team Red
2021-22: Kaleb Martin & Evan Constantopoulos, Team Kri

Pat Coyle Award (Defensive Player of the Year)

2023-24: Ethan Fisher, Team Red
2022-23: Ethan Fisher, Team Red & Hayden Hiltz, Team Blue (tied)
2021-22: Ben Wittich, Team Kri

Steve Toll Award: (Transition Player of the Year)

2023-24: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2022-23: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2021-22: Isaac Wills, Team Jay

Sandy Chapman Award (Heart & Hustle)

2023-24: Hunter Roy, Team Silver
2022-23: Kyle Sterritt, Team Carolina
2021-22: Ty Jesso, Team Kri & Chris Rathwell, Team Rogers (tied)

Colin Doyle Award (Scoring Champion)

2023-24: Marcelo Carreiro, Team White
2022-23: Liam Matthews, Team Silver
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

Josh Sanderson Award (Assists Leader)

2023-24: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2022-23: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

Blaine Manning Award (Goals Leader)

2023-24: Marcelo Carreiro, Team White
2022-23: Liam Matthews, Team Silver
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

Terry Sanderson Award (Coaching Staff of the Year)

2023-24: Adam Jay & Riley Hutchcraft, Team Carolina
2022-23: Challen Rogers & DJ Clevely, Team Red
2021-22: Adam Jay & Riley Hutchcraft, Team Jay

Dan Stroup Award (Postseason MVP)

2023-24: Hunter Roy, Team Silver
2022-23: Liam Matthews, Team Silver
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

The Bob Watson Award is be presented to the goalie tandem/team deemed to be the season’s best.

The Sandy Chapman Award is presented to the player(s) that best exemplified the same drive, determination, heart and hustle that Rock defensive legend Sandy Chapman played with during his entire NLL career.

Jim Veltman Award Finalists

2023-24

Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
Nolan Barker, Team Red
Marcelo Carreiro, Team White
Noah Cupples, Team Blue
Ethan Fisher, Team Red
Riley Ford, Team Carolina
Brayden Mitchell, Team Black
Owen Rahn, Team White
Hunter Roy, Team Silver
Connor Waller, Team Blue
Curtis Ward, Team Black
Callum Witter, Team Silver

2022-23

Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
Ryan Barker, Team Blue
Marcelo Carreiro, Team Silver
Noah Cupples, Team Black
Riley Ford, Team Carolina
Dylan Goddard, Team White
Jacob Janke, Team White
Ty Jesso, Team White
Cohen Jennings, Team Silver
Enrico Lombardo, Team Red
Nolan Marshall, Team Blue
Liam Matthews, Team Silver
Carter Moran, Team Black
Owen Orpana, Team White
Owen Rahn, Team Silver
Chris Rathwell, Team Red
Jameson Steele, Team Carolina
Oliver Vanyo, Team Red
Treyton Weinstein, Team Black
Walker Zabransky, Team Blue

2021-22

Sheldon Broughton, Team Manns
Elijah Edwards, Team Manns
Ty Jesso, Team Kri
Marcus, Keleher, Team Manns
Riley Knox, Team Rogers
Justin Lee, Team Jay
William MacLeod, Team Kri
Kaleb Martin, Team Kri
Connor Pearce, Team Jay
Chris Rathwell, Team Rogers
Ethan Stainton, Team Rogers
Will Sheehan, Team Manns
Jaden Simick, Team Jay
Kyle Sterritt, Team Jay
Aaron Toguri, Team Rogers
Oliver Vanyo, Team Rogers
Nicholas Volkov, Team Manns
Isaac Wills, Team Jay
Ben Wittich, Team Kri
Jake Wright, Team Kri