21U REL MVP: Evan Miller Named Jim Veltman Award Winner

TRAC Athletics is proud to announce the 21U Rock Elite League award winners for the 2025-26 regular season and playoffs.

Taking this year’s top honour, Team White’s Evan Miller (Robert Morris University) has been named the 2025-26 Jim Veltman Award winner. The award recognizes the division’s regular season MVP.

Miller has also been selected as this year’s Dan Stroup Award winner, the annual honour going to the Postseason MVP. Miller’s Team White recently won the 21U REL Cup, beating Team Royal 13-5 in the final. Miller scored six times in the Cup-clinching victory. He also becomes just the third player in league history to garner both MVP awards in the same season: 2022-23 Liam Matthews (Team Silver) and 2024-25 Matthew Ford (Team Red).

Plus, Miller’s 40 goals during the regular season also secured him this year’s Blaine Manning Award, which recognizes the division’s top goal getter. Team White teammates Nolan Sanderson, Cole Downey and Ty Thompson also won 21U REL Awards this year, the 2026 champions taking six of the division’s ten individual honours.

Other 2025-26 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, previous winners, plus all of the talented players nominated for the Jim Veltman Award over the past five seasons.

 

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21U Rock Elite League Year-End Awards

Jim Veltman Award (MVP)

2025-26: Evan Miller, Team White
2024-25: Matthew Ford, Team Red
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)

2025-26: Cole Downey & Ty Thompson, Team White
2024-25: Cole Downey & Jesse Morrison, Team White
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)

2025-26: James Jemmott, Team Black
2024-25: Bishop Burman, Team White
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)

2025-26: Nathan Nyarko, Team Royal
2024-25: Carter Coffey, Team Gold
2023-24: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2022-23: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2021-22: Isaac Wills, Team Jay

Sandy Chapman Award (Heart & Hustle)

2025-26: Matthew Ford, Team Red & Stephen West, Team Royal (tied)
2024-25: Bennett Driscoll, Team Red & Owen Tovell, Team Gold (tied)
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)

2025-26: Nolan Sanderson, Team White
2024-25: Matthew Ford, Team Red
2023-24: Marcelo Carreiro, Team White
2022-23: Liam Matthews, Team Silver
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

Josh Sanderson Award (Assists Leader)

2025-26: Nolan Sanderson, Team White
2024-25: Max Kruger, Team White
2023-24: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2022-23: Thomas Bagnall, Team Carolina
2021-22: Will MacLeod, Team Kri

Blaine Manning Award (Goals Leader)

2025-26: Evan Miller, Team White
2024-25: Matthew Ford, Team Red
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)

2025-26: Sam English & Owen Hiltz, Team Royal
2024-25: Challen Rogers & Jordan McKenna, Team Red
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)

2025-26: Evan Miller, Team White
2024-25: Matthew Ford, Team Red
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 Finalist History

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

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

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

2024-25

Zachariah Abu-Ali, Team Carolina
Cooper Campbell-Burman, Team White
Carter Coffey, Team Gold
Bennett Driscoll, Team Red
Matthew Ford, Team Red
Ryan Gonsalvez, Team Black
Ty Jesso, Team Blue
Max Kruger, Team White
Cody MacNeil, Team Black
Caiden Merritt, Team Blue
Evan McDougall, Team Gold
Evan Miller, Team White
Finn Morgan, Team Blue
Myles Playter, Team Blue
Nate Renaud, Team Gold
Charlie Salter, Team Black
Cannon Schmidt, Team Carolina
Jameson Steele, Team Red
Owen Tovell, Team Gold
Andrew Wilson, Team Carolina

2025-26

Matthew Ford, Team Red
Wesley Grant, Team Black
Jackson McGarr, Team Gold
Evan Miller, Team White
Dylan Price, Team Carolina
Tyson Rahn, Team Red
Nolan Sanderson, Team White
Cannon Schmidt, Team Gold
MJ Schwager, Team Royal
Finley Topping, Team Black
Owen Tovell, Team Carolina
Stephen West, Team Royal