New York fires Jim Veltman, VP Rich Lisk takes over Riptide GM duties
Callum Crawford & Rich Lisk (Photo: SSM Photography)
In a somewhat unexpected move, the New York Riptide have fired General Manager Jim Veltman after the team’s 0-3 start to the 2022-23 National Lacrosse League regular season. Riptide Executive Vice President Rich Lisk has taken over the team’s GM duties effective immediately.
In a statement shared on social media shortly after 4pm ET today, the Riptide organization said, “We would like to thank Jim for his contributions to the organization and we wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.”
The Riptide were expected by many to be a much-improved side this season. While the team has sputtered to that previously mentioned 0-3 start, in their defence, they’ve played three stacked teams straight away: San Diego Seals (4-0), Halifax Thunderbirds (3-1) and Toronto Rock (2-2). Their 15-7 loss to the Rock this past weekend was easily their most lackluster effort after two much stronger showings.
Veltman, who just had his contract extended this past September, joined the franchise in July of 2020, when the team also hired Dan Ladouceur as their head coach.
GF Sports & Entertainment, a live events and sports media entertainment company that also owns the Riptide, swayed Lisk away from the NLL’s New England Black Wolves (now Albany FireWolves) and appointed him the company’s Executive VP in January of 2020. The role and its responsibilities extended beyond GF Sports’ professional lacrosse property. In April of that same year, Lisk’s position was expanded to also include the title of Head of Lacrosse & Business Operations for the Riptide.
A few months later, Lisk fired Regy Thorpe, the young franchise’s first GM and bench boss, making way for Veltman & Ladouceur.
The 2019-20 season was the Riptide’s first in the NLL. The team finished 1-13 under Thorpe that year, unable to complete their expansion campaign after the pandemic forced a full stop to the season.
During the 2022-23 regular season, the Riptide ended the year 6-12, but showed promise in the second half where they went 5-5 over their last ten and pressed for a post-season spot. Veltman made a few trades during the year, acquiring Brent Noseworthy, Tyler Digby and Ron John. Over the offseason, Veltman signed free agent Kevin Brownell, and traded for Reilly O’Connor & Jordi Jones-Smith. The Riptide also drafted Zack Deaken, who is currently still competing collegiately, in the first round of last year’s draft.
Veltman’s multi-year extension a handful of months ago seemingly signified that the franchise had confidence in his roster-fortifying moves, although today’s rare early season GM dismissal would obviously suggest otherwise.
Weeks after the 2022 NLL Entry Draft, and not long after Veltman’s extension was announced, the Riptide would have three picks voided by the league for various draft-day violations. New York was one of a number of teams, an abnormally high amount, to have picks stripped by the league last year.
Lisk has served as GM with the Philadelphia Wings and then relocated Black Wolves, doing the same in the Arena Football League with the Philadelphia Soul and the East Coast Hockey League’s Trenton Titans.
Rich Lisk, New York Riptide (Photo: SSM Photography)
Last year, Lisk was a finalist for the NLL’s Executive of the Year award. “Rich has been a great leader for the Riptide organization on both the operations and the competitive sides of our business,” NLL Governor and GF Sports & Entertainment Board Member Erik Baker said last summer. “In addition, his work on behalf of the league has been outstanding.” He has also twice been a General Manager of the Year finalist in the NLL (2016 & 2020).
In a relatively short amount of time, Lisk and the Riptide have now canned two NLL Hall of Famers in Thorpe & Veltman, the pair winning a combined ten NLL Cups over their incredible playing careers.
The Riptide’s next three games will take place in their home state when they see the Rochester Knighthawks, Albany FireWolves and Buffalo Bandits in January. In fact, New York’s remaining regular-season games are all against East Conference opponents, until their final match of the season against the Warriors in Vancouver.
Last year, the league’s final playoff spot went to the wild-card-winning Philadelphia Wings, who finished 9-9.
While the Riptide’s season is far from lost, at 0-3 and a difficult regular-season schedule remaining, their chance to correct this early crash has got to start soon.