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February 1, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Chosen one

by Jerry Spar/

"I’ve been playing indoor [lacrosse] all my life,” said Boston Blazers rookie Daryl Veltman, although he isn’t quite accurate. After all, he didn’t join his first team until the ripe old age of 3.

Yes, Veltman was a 3-year-old when he joined his first league for youngsters in his native Ontario, Canada.

“My parents put me in a competitive league at the age of 3 — like an innercity league — and I fell in love with it,” Veltman said. “They actually don’t allow 3-year-olds anymore. I think now you have to be at least 4 or 5.”

Veltman’s early start no doubt gave him an advantage — and it’s one he has never relinquished. After playing mostly box lacrosse in Canada as a youngster, he took his talents outside and spent four accomplished seasons at Hobart College in upstate New York.

Now, 20 years after his introduction to the sport, Veltman is a heralded rookie forward for the Blazers, who selected the 6-foot, 195-pounder with the first overall pick in September’s entry draft.

“We were looking for an offensive lefty, and we felt he was the most talented natural scorer,” Blazers coach Tom Ryan said. “We looked to him to score goals, and I feel like he is playing beyond his rookie [level].

“All of our offense seemed a bit out of sorts for the first game or two, but the [next] couple of games Daryl has stepped up and proven what a great goal-scorer he is. Anytime someone scores four goals a game, they’re doing something right.”

Veltman is no stranger to high-level indoor lacrosse. He moved up the rungs of Canada’s box lacrosse system and already is a veteran of two seasons in Senior A, the top level.

“I was fortunate enough to play two seasons of Senior A, and I played with a lot of the NLL players there,” he said. “So, the caliber of play [in the NLL], I think I was sort of used to it.

“The only difference is the nets are a little smaller and the floor is a little smaller. The NLL is a little faster-paced, but playing with the [Canadian NLL] players, you kind of learn from them, and the jump from Senior A to the pro league is a smaller gap.”

Veltman’s experience in Senior A was one of the things that appealed to the Blazers.

“The fact that he played Senior A and had some success there made us feel more comfortable that he would do well at this level,” Ryan said. Veltman also has the advantage of impressive bloodlines. His uncle, Jim Veltman, is an NLL legend, recently retired after winning eight league titles (three with the Buffalo Bandits and five with the Toronto Rock). Jim, a 10-year Rock captain and the 2004 league MVP, is now an adviser to the Toronto team.

Additionally, Daryl’s older brother, Peter, plays in the NLL, for the San Jose Stealth. Peter was briefly on the Blazers roster but preferred to be closer to his home and work out west, so Boston traded him for Paul Dawson, younger brother of Blazers standout Dan Dawson.

It was because of Peter that Daryl began his transition to the outdoor game in New England. Following Peter’s lead, Daryl enrolled at Connecticut’s Salisbury School for a postgraduate year of high school. He played hockey (“a stay-at-home defenseman”) and led the lacrosse team to a 14-1 record.
It was there that he decided he preferred the small school setting, and this affected his college decision.

“Salisbury is a small school, and I liked that,” he said. “And Hobart is a smaller college than some of the others, plus it’s closer to home. And it’s a school with a lot of tradition and history.”

At Hobart, Veltman made some history, leading the team in goals all four years. In his first season at the Geneva, N.Y., school in 2005, he amassed 28 goals and 22 assists, becoming the first Hobart freshman to lead the team in scoring in 34 years. He was named ECAC Rookie of the Year.

“It was pretty clear to me, seeing him on the practice field from Day 1, that he was going to be a pretty special guy for us,” said current Hobart coach T.W. Johnson, who was an assistant under Matt Kerwick during Veltman’s four seasons there. “He had a great freshman campaign. To be named the top rookie in that league is a pretty amazing accomplishment.

“When Daryl came in, I thought he was a very mature player. Part of that could have been from having an uncle and older brother that played at a very high level. Daryl has been in those kinds of atmospheres.

“He has great hands, he’s a great finisher, and he’s always a step ahead of the ball. When Daryl got here, it took some of our older guys a little while to get used to playing with him. He’s so quick that the ball was in their stick before they were expecting it. Anytime he had a second to get his hands free to shoot, you were surprised the ball didn’t go in. And his knowledge of the game is great.”

Those factors made for an easier transition to the outdoor game.

“There is a lot of running outdoor and the field’s a lot bigger, but there are more personnel on the field, and they’ve got more time to work the ball around,” Veltman said. “With indoor, with a 30-second shot clock, you’re constantly moving on and off. You’ve got to react quicker in the indoor game, with feeds and passes that you wouldn’t get outdoors. You’ve got to get used to the faster pace.”

As a senior last year, Veltman was first in the ECAC with 26 goals in 11 games for a 2.36 goals-per-game average and was named an honorable mention All-American. He finished his college career with 109 goals and 53 assists for 162 points.

Upon conclusion of his college career, Veltman hoped to play another summer of box lacrosse and give Major League Lacrosse a try, but that plan hit a snag. Veltman had relocated to Coquitlam, British Columbia, but had not yet satisfied Canadian lacrosse organizers that he was a resident of the western Canadian city. So, they would not grant him a release to play there — or anywhere. Instead, Veltman spent the summer working as a camp counselor.

“I kept in shape all summer working out,” said Veltman, whose MLL rights are owned by the Rochester Rattlers. “In Coquitlam, it’s a lacrosse city, so there’s outdoor boxes or bowls you can shoot around at. I also had two months of training camp to get back into lacrosse shape. I don’t think the summer off had a big effect.”

If his time away had a negative effect, there isn’t much evidence. Through the first four games, Veltman led the Blazers in goals (11), power-play goals (4), shots (62) and shots on goal (43). He was second in points (24).

Veltman also was challenging for the team lead in loose balls with 22. That should come as no surprise, as his uncle is the NLL’s career leader in that category, earning him the nickname “Scoop.”

“I hear [people comparing us] every so often, especially regarding loose balls, but me and my uncle are two different players,” Daryl said. “I try to stick to my strengths.”

That isn’t to say Daryl wouldn’t mind emulating his uncle, who he watched play since he was a kid and Jim was starring both in Canadian leagues and the NLL.

“He’d stop by my practices, and at family get-togethers we’d have our sticks and work on some stuff, but I think I learned the majority from watching him play in Brampton, Buffalo and Toronto — just watching the way he played.”

Now it’s Daryl’s turn to be the one people watch. He hopes it will be in Boston for some time to come, and he’s been doing his part to make a positive impact on the community.

“We’ve been out for the past few months doing a little PR work, and people seem to be responding” he said. “Boston is the prefect place for a team. It’s such a big sports city. The people here love their sports, and I think they’ll like indoor lacrosse if they give it a try. Lacrosse is a high-intensity game, it’s fast, quick-moving, high-scoring, a lot of action going on. I think that’s what the fans are a looking for.”