MAN OF THE YEAR 

It’s getting close to that time of year again where awards are being talked about in the AHL. Monday, the AHL announced it’s list of nominee’s, one from each team. For the team’s Howlings covers, Jared Nightingale of the Connecticut Whale was nominated (see release below) and Mike Murphy of the Charlotte Checkers (see release below) were both the choice of their respective organizations.

Here is the AHL release of the entire list.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today the individual team winners of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year awards, selected by their respective clubs for their outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2010-11 season.

From this list of finalists, representatives from IOA/American Specialty and the AHL will choose the winner of the 2010-11 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award. The AHL’s annual Man of the Year award is named after the late Yanick Dupré, who died in 1997 at the age of 24, following a 16-month battle with leukemia. Dupré, an AHL All-Star in 1995, played four seasons with the Hershey Bears, registering 169 points in 207 AHL games. He also skated in 35 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

This year’s winners of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year awards are:

Matt Keith, Abbotsford Heat
J.P. Testwuide, Adirondack Phantoms
Brad Mills, Albany Devils
Cody Bass, Binghamton Senators
Tony Romano, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Mike Murphy, Charlotte Checkers
Spencer Machacek, Chicago Wolves
Jared Nightingale, Connecticut Whale
Greg Amadio, Grand Rapids Griffins
Alex Henry, Hamilton Bulldogs
Andrew Joudrey, Hershey Bears
Jean-Michel Daoust, Houston Aeros
Travis Gawryletz, Lake Erie Monsters
Bud Holloway, Manchester Monarchs
Nolan Baumgartner, Manitoba Moose
Mark Van Guilder, Milwaukee Admirals
Alex Berry, Norfolk Admirals
Jake Taylor, Oklahoma City Barons
Dave Spina, Peoria Rivermen
Derek Whitmore, Portland Pirates
Trent Whitfield, Providence Bruins
Paul Baier, Rochester Americans
Kyle Hagel, Rockford IceHogs
Eric Neilson, San Antonio Rampage
Steven Goertzen, Springfield Falcons
Mat Clark, Syracuse Crunch
Brad Lukowich, Texas Stars
Christian Hanson, Toronto Marlies
Ryan Craig, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Nick Petrecki, Worcester Sharks

The winner of the 2010-11 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award will be announced at a later date.

Here is the release for Jared Nightingale:

The Connecticut Whale are proud to announce that Jared Nightingale has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Hartford community during the 2010-11 season.

Nightingale has been tireless in his enthusiasm for community outreach during this 2010-11 Connecticut Whale season.  He has consistently been the first to offer his time to any charitable, school or hospital appearance that is scheduled and has on many occasions taken it upon himself to initiate appearances, without prompting from the team.  He has forged tight relationships with area hospitals, including Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Gaylord Rehabilitation Hospital, which is the beneficiary of the Whale’s annual “Tip a Player Dinner and Sports Carnival”, and has made a significant impression on many a student and faculty member at countless school visits.

Nightingale is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2010-11 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.

Here is the Checkers release on Mike Murphy:

MURPHY NAMED CHECKERS 2010-11
IOA/AMERICAN SPECIALTY AHL MAN OF THE YEAR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Checkers are proud to announce that Mike Murphy has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Charlotte community during the 2010-11 season.

Murphy has gone above and beyond what is expected of a professional athlete and is one of the best ambassadors to the game of hockey in Charlotte.

In addition to attending most of the team’s formally scheduled appearances, Murphy has, on his own time, visited with Presbyterian Children’s Hospital patients and has participated in local youth hockey clinics.

On his own accord, Murphy has also been actively engaged in utilizing social media to promote team fundraising initiatives. He was active in promoting the Checkers’ Facebook fundraiser for Zach Bennett and during the ‘Pink in the Rink’ jersey auction, he Tweeted that the winning bidder would be treated to dinner.

Murphy is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2010-11 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.