Buzzer Beater: Midseason Awards [UFA Week 7, 2025]

Which players might add a trophy to their mantle this season?

June 9, 2025 by Alex Rubin in Rankings, Recap

Hi everyone, welcome back to my weekly Buzzer Beater column. Here I will focus on one major storyline each week. The column will also share some news and notes beyond that big story and will be the place to share our most up-to-date power rankings. If you have questions about the UFA, you can also write in to [email protected] to fill up the mailbag.

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After a few weeks of shocking upsets, this week’s results were all fairly expected. They were certainly impactful, as star players and breakouts alike continue to put on a show week after week. As we are nearing the midpoint of the season, I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few players I’d consider for each award if the season were to end right now.

 

MVP

• It seems like every week Allan Laviolette is throwing the Flyers back into contention. Sometimes award voters look for players to peak at the end of the season, but Laviolette is on a season-long heater right now and if he can keep this up, the award is all but his.

• It seems like Travis Dunn has a permanent spot locked up on the All-UFA teams, and it’s about time he gets some consideration for MVP as well given his prominent offensive role on a team that is punching above its weight in a new division. While the Growlers are a deep team with lots of talent, Dunn is elevating them to another level with his multi-dimensional playmaking.

• The best player on the best team always has to be in consideration and this year that’s either Jeff Babbitt (who won the 2023 and 2024 MVP awards) or Tobe Decraene. Both are among the most explosive athletes in the league and are the unquestioned on-field leaders of the team that has been atop our power rankings for most of the season.

 

Defensive Player of the Year

• Lukas Ambrose is too young to fade away and lose this award. Still a growing talent, his defensive ambition perfectly suits the UFA field.
• Lukas McClamrock is making a case for himself too, leading the league with 13 blocks so far. McClamrock may have been put on the D-line for his throwing prowess on the counterattack, but his defensive chops are holding up for one of the best teams in the league.
• Also eligible for Rookie of the Year, Langley Fitzpatrick is making a name for himself on the Cascades D-line. He has a block in every game played so far and has taken on some of the toughest matchups the west coast has to offer.

 

Rookie of the Year

• The award had Leo Gordon’s name on it since his name graced the Oakland Spiders’ roster release. His immense talent and unwavering confidence are some of the reasons Oakland is having their best season in a decade.
• Conor Belfield was an underrated addition to the Cascades roster, and his excellence downfield is allowing the Cascades offense to flow smoothly despite some offseason departures.
• Ben Simmons may also be a fit for Defensive Player of the Year, but as the Empire have dealt with injuries and player absences, Simmons has stepped up in his first year to take on some of the toughest matchups in the league. He has succeeded in continuing the Empire brand of tough, physical defense.

 

Most Improved Player

• Few people expected the Montreal Royal to contend for a playoff spot, but the offensive play from Christophe Tremblay-Joncas this season has them in position to make a run at postseason play. Known in previous seasons as a defensive stopper, CTJ elevated his offensive game to put his team into contention with his dynamic skillset.
• Through just six games, Scott Heyman has already reached career highs in assists, goals, blocks, +/-, completions, total yards, hockey assists, and hucks. With another half season left to build his case, Heyman might even be in the MVP conversation by the end of the year if the Phoenix hang around the playoff picture long enough.
• Rutledge Smith technically needs to qualify for this list rather than the rookie list since he played a single game in 2023. Nevertheless, his adjustment to the UFA game is complete and he has taken his expected place as one of the most important offensive players on a Flyers team that is improving a lot as the season moves along.

Think there’s someone I’m leaving out of consideration? Let me know in the UFA Channel of the Ultiworld Discord or email me at [email protected].

 

News and Notes

• In the weekly Friday Night Frisbee game, the DC Breeze crushed the New York Empire 23-15. Ben Jagt’s six goals could not match Rowan McDonnell’s eight assists. Breeze rookie Micah Wagner notched three blocks against the normally-stingy Empire offense.
• It was a big weekend for big stats. Chad Yorgason tallied six assists and five goals and the Salt Lake Shred needed every one as they took down the Oakland Spiders 25-24 in overtime. With the win, the Shred move to first place in the West Division, half a game up in the standings against the Spiders.
• The Carolina Flyers earned their first win against Atlanta this season with a 21-19 victory over the Hustle. Laviolette’s seven assists and two goals continued to make his MVP case while Rutledge Smith’s three assists and six goals might signify a UFA breakout campaign.
• The Austin Sol came back from a two-goal deficit midway through the fourth quarter to knock off the Los Angeles Aviators 18-17.
• A day later, the Sol completed the SoCal sweep with a two-goal win over the San Diego Growlers. Jackson Potts and Reece Bowman combined for seven goals and seven assists. Austin went down 6-2 before turning the game around and bringing the contest to a tie at halftime. They were also down entering the fourth quarter, but rattled off four breaks in the final frame to stay undefeated and atop the South Division.
• In a game shown live in several sports bars in Western and Central PA, the Minnesota Wind Chill beat the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds 21-16. Will Brandt’s five assists led the way.
• In other Central Division action, the Chicago Union beat the Madison Radicals by the same exact scoreline. Neither team held more than a two goal lead until midway through the third quarter when Chicago broke the game open with a four goal run.
• The Montreal Royal only turned the disc over eight times in their 29-20 rout of the Philadelphia Phoenix. Christophe Tremblay-Joncas had one of the best throwing days of his career with 462 throwing yards and six assists.
• Philadelphia endured a rough weekend, as they also fell to the Boston Glory by eight goals. Tobe Decraene was most responsible for that deficit with four assists and five goals of his own.
• The Royal came down to earth with a ten point loss to Toronto the next day. James Lewis tallied three goals and three assists to lead the Rush.
• Seattle crushed Las Vegas 23-12, though the teams did tie 4-4 if you just count the second quarter.
• Ben Thoennes led the Oregon Steel to a 21-17 win over the Las Vegas Bighorns with five assists while playing primarily on the D-line. He added three blocks for good measure.
• The Indianapolis AlleyCats beat the Detroit Mechanix 25-16 to inch closer to the playoff picture.

 

UFA Power Rankings Week 7

• Salt Lake and Carolina are the biggest movers this week as they climb higher in the top 10 following wins over other top 10 teams.