Jim Veltman Award: Matthew Ford named 21U Rock Elite League MVP

TRAC Athletics is proud to announce the 21U Rock Elite League award winners for the league’s 2024-25 regular season and playoffs.

Garnering this year’s top honour, Matthew Ford (University of Richmond) has been named the 2024-25 Jim Veltman Man Award winner, the year-end title going to the regular season’s Most Valuable Player.

In recent weeks, Ford was also confirmed as both the Blaine Manning Award (Goals Leader) and Colin Doyle Award (Points Leader) winner. In addition to being selected as this year’s Veltman Award recipient, TRAC Athletics has also voted Ford 2025’s Dan Stroup Award winner, that honour presented to the 21U REL Playoff MVP. Ford played a pivotal role in Team Red’s REL Cup win earlier this month.

Ford becomes just the third player in 21U REL history to win four individual year-end honours in one season. During the 2021-22 season, Will MacLeod (Robert Morris University) was the league’s top goals, assists and points producer, later also winning the postseason’s Dan Stroup Award. Liam Matthews (Penn State University) won the same four awards Ford did this year during the 2022-23 season, and like both MacLeod & Ford, was an REL Cup and Stroup winner that same year.

Other 2024-25 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 four seasons.

21U Rock Elite League Year-End Awards

Jim Veltman Award (MVP)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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