The Midwest Junior Hockey League today announced that Jarrad Vroman of the Motor City Monarchs has been named Defenseman of the Year, as voted on by the league’s seven head coaches.

Vroman, a two-year veteran of the MWJHL, led all league blueliners in scoring with 10 goals and 45 assists for 55 points in 41 games.

The 1997-born native of Lincoln Park, Mich., also tallied 24 power-play assists and was a major cog in the league’s top-ranked power play (88.44%). He was also a co-captain of the Monarchs along with MWJHL scoring champion Adam Jonak.

“I saw Jarrad play a couple times last year (with the Detroit Fighting Irish) and in watching him this year, I couldn’t believe it was the same kid,” Monarchs’ owner-GM Mark Gilman said. “His improvement has been so remarkable and I give a lot of credit to his offseason training with (Motor City head coach) Jason McCrimmon. His leadership is unparalleled for a high school senior and I can’t imagine that there’s a faster defenseman in this league.

“Vroman is our one-man breakout drill. He just has so much speed in our zone and he’s unstoppable bringing the puck out. He’s the captain of the power play and really knows how to spread the passes out.”

McCrimmon, who also coached Vroman in 2013-14 with the Fighting Irish, has known the Vroman family for many years and considers them family. When McCrimmon was named the Monarchs’ first head coach in the spring of 2014, acquiring Vroman from Detroit was one of his first priorities.

“I've literally watched Jarrad develop into the exceptional hockey player he is today,” said McCrimmon. “I have never viewed him as just another player on the roster, but I saw him as one of the players I wanted to build the team around. His work ethic, skill and potential are evident and I was confident that it would shine on this new team and this season, he has been a model player for the entire team. Jarrad is the product of a great family, which shows in his character and leadership. Jarrad has also been vital in volunteer work with Detroit Ice Dreams, an inner-city youth hockey program, since 2012. 

“I'm honored to call Vroman the Defenseman of the Year because I know the hard work he put in behind the scenes to earn that title.”

When talking about Vroman’s future and off-ice character, Gilman continued to boast.

“To be named Defenseman of the Year, I couldn’t be happier for Jarrad,” said Gilman. “He’s just a phenomenal player and we wouldn’t have had the success we had this year without him. He’s a leader in the locker room and it’s been a pleasure having him this year. He’ll be missed next year as he will have several options to play in higher-level leagues and we’re definitely excited about that.”

The Monarchs swept the Michigan Ice Dogs in the first round of this season’s Veteran’s Memorial Cup Playoffs last weekend and host the Fighting Irish this weekend in the semifinals. Game 1 is Friday night at the Jack Adams Ice Arena in Detroit, while Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) will be at Fraser Hockeyland.

The MWJHL Forward of the Year will be announced on Friday and Organization of the Year will be announced next week.