Dominic Franco Named Checkers Man of the Year
May 2, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Checkers are proud to announce that Dominic Franco 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 2022-23 season.
In his first season in Charlotte, Franco brought with him the Friends Of Franco program - in which he collaborated with the Checkers to donate four tickets to each home game to veterans and military families. After the game Franco would go out of his way to meet the recipients of that night's tickets.
The program allowed Franco to connect to a community close to his own heart. The 27-year-old is a West Point graduate and an active duty member of the Army - becoming the first Army athlete to ever sign a professional hockey contract in 2020.
Franco is now one of 32 finalists of the AHL's 2022-23 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 on Thursday. May 4.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2023
- Abbotsford Canucks vs Calgary Wranglers Game 3 Preview - Abbotsford Canucks
- Garrett Mitchell Named IceHogs' 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Rockford IceHogs
- Toronto Marlies Visit Utica Comets in Game Three of Round Two of 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs - Toronto Marlies
- Hunt, Meyers and Kinkaid Reassigned to Colorado Eagles - Colorado Eagles
- Zamula Signs Contract Extension - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wagner Named Colorado Eagles IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Colorado Eagles
- David Bell Named Head Coach - Belleville Senators
- Adam Brooks Named Phantoms Man of the Year - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Sam Laberge Named Comets 2022-23 IOA/American Speciatly AHL Man of the Year - Utica Comets
- Oscar Dansk Named Wranglers AHL Man of the Year - Calgary Wranglers
- Max Lajoie Named Wolves' 2022-23 Man of the Year - Chicago Wolves
- Dominic Franco Named Checkers Man of the Year in the Community - Charlotte Checkers
- Malcolm Subban Named Amerks' 2022-23 Ioa/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Rochester Americans
- Ty Smith Named Penguins' IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Oligny Named Moose 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Manitoba Moose
- Gaunce Named Ontario's 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Ontario Reign
- Bokondji Imama Named Roadrunners 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Tucson Roadrunners
- Chase de Leo Named 2022-2023 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - San Diego Gulls
- Andrew Agozzino Named Barracuda IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - San Jose Barracuda
- Schneider Named Ads Community Man of the Year - Milwaukee Admirals
- Mason Morelli Named Hershey's 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Hershey Bears
- Didier Named Providence Bruins 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Providence Bruins
- Jake Bischoff Named Silver Knights 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Henderson Silver Knights
- Dominic Franco Named Checkers Man of the Year - Charlotte Checkers
- Ryan MacKinnon Named Bridgeport's 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Bridgeport Islanders
- Dillon Simpson Named Cleveland Monsters 2022-23 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Cleveland Monsters
- Bobby Trivigno Named Wolf Pack's IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Award Winner - Hartford Wolf Pack
- IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Team Award Winners Announced - AHL
- Victor Brattstrom Honored as Griffins' Man of the Year - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Will Bitten Named T-Birds' IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Focused on Fending off Elimination One Step at a Time - Charlotte Checkers
- World Lacrosse Awards 2024 Box Championships to Utica, New York - Utica Comets
- Rangers Assign Four to Wolf Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
