SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League held its 2025 Awards Gala in the course of the Board of Governors’ Annual Assembly at Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Thursday night, presenting a number of awards for excellence and repair:
Rockford IceHogs president of enterprise operations Ryan Snider has been voted by the Board because the winner of the James C. Hendy Memorial Award, given to the excellent enterprise govt within the American Hockey League.
Snider, who joined the IceHogs in 2021 following 15 years with Spurs Sports activities and Leisure in San Antonio, has led an period of development and growth in Rockford, overseeing a workers that has created indelible fan experiences and built-in the IceHogs into the local people. Below Snider’s management, the group has seen annual will increase in ticket, merchandise and sponsorship gross sales, and he performed a big position in creating and designing the newly renovated BMO Heart, an endeavor that helped Rockford win choice because the host for the 2026 AHL All-Star Basic subsequent season.
The James C. Hendy Memorial Award is known as for the late Jim Hendy, a member of the Hockey Corridor of Fame and AHL Corridor of Fame and long-time statistician and historian for the AHL who gained 4 Calder Cups as normal supervisor of the Cleveland Barons.
Laval Rocket normal supervisor John Sedgwick has been honored with the inaugural Bruce Landon Award because the AHL’s excellent hockey operations govt for 2024-25.
Sedgwick, who additionally serves as assistant normal supervisor of the Montreal Canadiens, assembled a Rocket roster that gained the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for one of the best regular-season document within the league (48-19-3-2, 101 factors) and superior to the Jap Convention Finals, their second look in 4 years. Sedgwick’s accomplishments in Laval reverberated all through the group, as Rocket gamers contributed to each the Montreal Canadiens’ return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Trois-Rivieres Lions’ ECHL championship.
The Bruce Landon Award was created previous to the 2024-25 season to honor Bruce Landon, a member of the American Hockey League Corridor of Fame and a mainstay in Springfield, Mass., as a participant, govt and proprietor for practically half a century.
Outgoing Charlotte Checkers chief working officer Tera Black is the recipient of the Thomas Ebright Award in recognition of profession contributions to the AHL.
Black, who spent 19 seasons with the Checkers group earlier than stepping away from her day-to-day position final week, oversaw all points of the group’s enterprise operations. She was instrumental in numerous milestone moments for the franchise, amongst them their transfer to the AHL in 2010, their return to Bojangles Coliseum in 2015, their Calder Cup championship in 2019 and their profitable out of doors sport enterprise in 2024. Broadly thought to be one of many prime enterprise leaders – in addition to a pioneering feminine – within the sports activities trade, Black has earned many accolades by the years, together with successful the AHL’s Hendy Award in 2015-16 and changing into the primary girl to have her title engraved on the Calder Cup.
The Thomas Ebright Award honors Tom Ebright, the previous proprietor and governor of the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates who handed away in 1997.
The Laval Rocket (group of the 12 months) and Jacob MacDonald of the Colorado Eagles (participant excellence) have been chosen by AHL President and Chief Government Officer Scott Howson because the 2024-25 winners of the President’s Awards.
The Rocket gained the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for ending with one of the best document within the AHL in the course of the 2024-25 common season earlier than advancing to the Jap Convention Finals for the second time in 4 seasons. Off the ice, they remained a mannequin of excellence in all areas of their operation, seeing continued enterprise development and offering a first-class expertise to their followers at Place Bell the place they averaged higher than 9,900 followers per sport in the course of the common season (together with 23 sellouts).
MacDonald established an American Hockey League document in 2024-25, scoring extra objectives in a single season (31) than any defenseman in league historical past. He added 24 assists to guide all AHL blueliners in scoring with 55 factors, equaling his profession excessive, and completed with a plus/minus score of plus-24 to rank tied for tenth in the whole league for an Eagles group that led the AHL in offense (3.47 objectives scored per sport) and tied for fourth in protection (2.57 objectives allowed per sport) en path to capturing their first Pacific Division title. MacDonald went on to earn First Crew AHL All-Star honors – his third profession postseason All-Star Crew choice – in addition to the Eddie Shore Award because the league’s excellent defenseman.
Howson additionally introduced that starting in 2025-26, these awards might be generally known as the David Andrews Awards of Excellence, to honor the contributions of long-time league president Dave Andrews.
Established in 2009, the President’s Awards are given to an AHL group and/or participant for general excellence up to now 12 months.
Veteran linesperson Tommy George has been named the 2024-25 recipient of the Michael Condon Memorial Award for excellent contributions by an on-ice official.
A local of Frederick, Md., George has been a member of the AHL’s officiating workers since 2005, working practically 500 video games. As one of many league’s most tenured on-ice officers, George has labored with and mentored many younger officers by the years, demonstrating the experience, professionalism and work ethic required to achieve success. George has been acknowledged for his on-ice efficiency by being chosen to work the 2014 males’s Olympic hockey event in Sochi, Russia, in addition to six NCAA Frozen Fours and three IIHF World Championships.
The Michael Condon Memorial Award was created in 2002 following the sudden passing of veteran AHL linesman Mike Condon.
The League additionally acknowledged a number of excellent achievements in a wide range of classes with its annual Crew Enterprise Companies awards.
As a part of its Crew Enterprise Companies program, the AHL honored golf equipment for prime income development in 4 areas throughout this previous season: general ticket gross sales, season-ticket gross sales, group-ticket gross sales and company sponsorship gross sales.
General Ticket Gross sales Progress
Jap Convention: Cleveland Monsters
Western Convention: Texas Stars
Season Ticket Gross sales Progress
Jap Convention: Cleveland Monsters
Western Convention: Milwaukee Admirals
Group Ticket Gross sales Progress
Jap Convention: Hartford Wolf Pack
Western Convention: San Jose Barracuda
Company Gross sales Progress
Jap Convention: Cleveland Monsters
Western Convention: Abbotsford Canucks
Moreover, groups from every convention have been chosen for excellence within the areas of digital media, neighborhood relations and fan expertise.
Digital Media
Jap Convention: Springfield Thunderbirds
Western Convention: Grand Rapids Griffins
Neighborhood Relations Excellence
Jap Convention: Toronto Marlies
Western Convention: Coachella Valley Firebirds
Fan Expertise Excellence
Jap Convention: Laval Rocket
Western Convention: Chicago Wolves
The AHL additionally honored a number of groups and people for his or her efforts in the course of the 2024-25 season on the league’s Crew Enterprise Conferences in Indianapolis final month, together with the Springfield Thunderbirds because the advertising and marketing division of the 12 months, the Rockford IceHogs because the merchandise division of the 12 months, the Chicago Wolves because the sponsorship gross sales division of the 12 months and the Cleveland Monsters because the ticket gross sales division of the 12 months.
The Iowa Wild have been acknowledged for distinctive ticket gross sales promotion or theme evening (“Love within the Wild”); the Texas Stars have been chosen for immersive sport operations expertise (“Fallout Night time”); the Chicago Wolves have been chosen for distinctive neighborhood relations initiative (“Season Devoted to the Canines”); the Springfield Thunderbirds have been honored for distinctive social media content material (“Thunderbirds Jerseys Go to Germany”); the Rockford IceHogs got the award for distinctive sponsorship package deal or entitlement (Hahnemühle “Official Superb Arts Supplier” partnership); and the Cleveland Monsters have been acknowledged for excellent advertising and marketing marketing campaign (“Worry the Depths”).
In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the highest growth league for all 32 Nationwide Hockey League groups. Almost 90 p.c of at this time’s NHL gamers are American Hockey League graduates, and greater than 100 honored members of the Hockey Corridor of Fame hung out within the AHL of their careers.
