Jim Veltman Award: 21U Rock Elite League MVP finalists for the 2023 season

TRAC Athletics is proud to announce this year’s finalists for the 21U Rock Elite League Jim Veltman Award. First won by Will Sheehan (Yale University/Oakville Buzz) during last year’s 21U REL season, the Jim Veltman Award recognizes the league’s Most Valuable Player.

The award is one of several year-end accolades named in honour of Toronto Rock legends who excelled in their position of play and represented the team with pride during their elite National Lacrosse League careers. In addition to being a Veltman Award finalist last year, Will MacLeod (Robert Morris University/Burlington Chiefs) won four 21REL awards during the 2022 season after leading the league in points, goals and assists, and then helping lead Team Kri to an REL Cup win as well.

Completing the regular season earlier this week, the opening round of the 21U REL playoffs will be played on Monday, February 20 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre:

#1 Team Red (Challen Rogers) and #2 Team Silver (Zach Manns) receive a first-round bye
#3 Team Blue (Brad Kri) vs. #6 Team Black (Nick Rose), 7:30pm ET
#4 Team White (Latrell Harris) vs. #5 Team Carolina (Adam Jay), 8:30pm ET

Below, see the 20 names nominated for the 2023 Jim Veltman Award, all ten 21U REL year-end awards, plus a recap of last year’s inaugural winners. This season’s award winners will be announced on TRAC Athletics social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) in the weeks following the conclusion of the 2023 playoffs.

21U Rock Elite League Jim Veltman Award Finalists

Thomas Bagnall (Oakville), Team Carolina
Ryan Barker (Oakville), Team Blue
Marcelo Carreiro (Orangeville), Team Silver
Noah Cupples (Dundas), Team Black
Riley Ford (Milton), Team Carolina
Dylan Goddard (Oakville), Team White
Jacob Janke (Brampton), Team White
Ty Jesso (Georgetown), Team White
Cohen Jennings (Orangeville), Team Silver
Enrico Lombardo (Toronto), Team Red
Nolan Marshall (Oakville), Team Blue
Liam Matthews (Orangeville), Team Silver
Carter Moran (Owen Sound), Team Black
Owen Orpana (Rockwood), Team White
Owen Rahn (East Garafraxa), Team Silver
Chris Rathwell (Elora), Team Red
Jameson Steele (Mississauga), Team Carolina
Oliver Vanyo (St. Catharines), Team Red
Treyton Weinstein (Kitchener), Team Black
Walker Zabransky (Burlington), Team Blue

🐐 Jim Veltman with 21U REL Jim Veltman Award (MVP) winner Will Sheehan at the Rob MacDougall Memorial Day & Celebrity Classic held at the TRAC this past Saturday.

Sheehan, who is scoring up a storm for the 1st place Oakville Buzz, will join @YaleLacrosse this fall.#BeElite pic.twitter.com/Ylfkg4UPIY

— TRAC Athletics (@TRACAthletics) June 20, 2022

21U Rock Elite League Awards

Most Valuable Player: Jim Veltman Award
Goalies of the Year: Bob Watson Award
Defensive Player of the Year: Pat Coyle Award
Transition Player of the Year: Steve Toll Award
Scoring Champion (Points Leader): Colin Doyle Award
Assists Leader: Josh Sanderson Award
Goals Leader: Blaine Manning Award
Heart & Hustle: Sandy Chapman Award*
Coaching Staff of the Year: Terry Sanderson Award
Post-Season MVP: Dan Stroup Award

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

Inaugural 21U Rock Elite League Award Winners

Jim Veltman Award: Will Sheehan, Team Kri
Bob Watson Award: Kaleb Martin & Evan Constantopoulos, Team Kri
Pat Coyle Award: Ben Wittich, Team Kri
Steve Toll Award: Isaac Wills, Team Jay
Colin Doyle Award: Will MacLeod, Team Kri
Josh Sanderson Award: Will MacLeod, Team Kri
Blaine Manning Award: Will MacLeod, Team Kri
Sandy Chapman Award: Ty Jesso, Team Kri & Chris Rathwell, Team Rogers
Terry Sanderson Award: Adam Jay & Riley Hutchcraft, Team Jay
Dan Stroup Award: Will MacLeaod, Team Kri
REL Cup Winners: Team Kri

Congratulations to Team Kri for winning the 21U Rock Elite League Final 10-7 over Team Manns tonight at the TRAC

Stay tuned for a ton of post-playoff coverage of this year’s stacked season#BeElite 🏆 pic.twitter.com/nzqaHfJwNq

— TRAC Athletics (@TRACAthletics) March 1, 2022