
Former ECHL Player Fritz Named AHL Man Of The Year
April 12, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The American Hockey League has announced that
Springfield Falcons left wing Mitch Fritz has been selected to
receive the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as the AHL Man of the Year. The
award is presented annually to an AHL player for his outstanding
contributions to his local community and charitable organizations.
Fritz began his professional career in 2000-01 in the ECHL with Tallahassee
where he had eight points (3g-5a) and 79 penalty minutes in 42 games. He
played for Columbus from 2001-04 and had 28 points (8g-20a) and 577 penalty
minutes in 142 games for the Cottonmouths.
The 25-year-old has become a spokesman and ambassador for Springfield
through his tireless community service while interacting with fans of all
ages to raise money and awareness for charitable causes. The 6-foot-8 and
258-pound Fritz has embraced his status as a fan favorite by signing
autographs and participating in outreach programs such as "Adopt A Falcon"
for which he visits a local elementary school twice a month to teach
lessons in math, geography and physical education. He also hosted a party
to raise funds for Brightside for Families and Children, a non-profit
support center that offers residential treatment and special education for
children and their families.
He represented the organization at the Children's Miracle Network Radiothon
that raised a record $175,000 for the Baystate Children's Hospital and he
recruited teammates to help him deliver toys to patients. He also assisted
in fundraising for the American Red Cross by serving as spokesman for the
team's teddy bear toss and blood drives. The team's annual golf tournament
raised more than $30,000 for the Springfield Shriners Hospital and the
Springfield Sliders sled hockey team. He has also mentored foster children
through the social service department in Holyoke, Mass. as well as
participating in a fashion show for breast cancer awareness and delivering
food donations to Palmer Food Share to benefit more than 1,200 families in
western Massachusetts.
The AHL's annual Man of the Year award is named after the late Yanick
Dupré, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 24 following a 16-month battle
with leukemia. A second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in
1991, Dupré played four seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, and
participated in the 1995 AHL All-Star Game.
Fritz will be presented with the Yanick Dupré Award and a check for $500 on
Saturday in an on-ice presentation prior to the Falcons game against
Portland.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Dany Sabourin, who has played in
the ECHL with Johnstown, Las Vegas and Wheeling, was named First Team
All-AHL while former Greensboro and current Manitoba goaltender Wade
Flaherty, former Charlotte and current Hartford defenseman Thomas
Pock, and former Florida and current Lowell center Keith Aucoin
were all selected Second Team All-AHL.
Former Greenville and current Norfolk center Martin St. Pierre and
former Charlotte and current Hartford defenseman Daniel Girardi were
both selected to the AHL All-Rookie Team.
Former ECHL players have won the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week
award nine times in 2005-06 with Aucoin (Florida and Lowell), Mike
Ayers (Dayton and Syracuse), Zdenek Blatny (Greenville and
Springfield), Brian Finley (Toledo and Milwaukee), Jamie
Holden (Fresno and Cleveland), Jani Hurme (Columbia and
Portland), Brent Krahn (Las Vegas and Omaha), Lawrence
Nycholat (Jackson and Hershey) and Nathan Robinson (Toledo and
Providence).
There are eight head coaches, 12 assistant coaches and countless other
personnel on the 27 teams in the AHL, including Mike Haviland, who
won the Kelly Cup with Atlantic City in 2002-03 and Trenton in 2004-05 and
moved up to the AHL as head coach of Norfolk. Other former ECHL coaches who
are now head coaches in the AHL are Claude Noel of Milwaukee, Roy
Sommer of Cleveland, Greg Ireland of Grand Rapids, Dave
Allison of Iowa, Scott Gordon of Providence, Bruce
Boudreau of Hershey and David Baseggio of Bridgeport.
For the each of the past three seasons, the ECHL has had more players
called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined,
including 2004-05 when over 200 players were involved in 355 call ups,
accounting for almost 80 percent of the AHL roster additions. The ECHL had
425 call ups involving 234 players in 2003-04 and 450 call ups in 2002-03.
The AHL Most Valuable Player Award has been won four times by former ECHL
players, most recently by former Charlotte goaltender Jason
LaBarbera in 2003-04. Other former ECHL players who were named as MVP
of the AHL are Eric Boguniecki in 2001-02, Martin Brochu in
1999-2000 and Brad Smyth in 1995-96.
The AHL Coach of the Year award was won by ECHL coaches four years in a row
from 2001-04 with Noel (2004), Geoff Ward (2003), Bruce
Cassidy (2002) and Don Granato (2001) while current Carolina
Hurricanes and former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette was the first
ECHL coach to capture the award in 1999.
ECHL Stories from April 12, 2006
- Gladiators to face South Carolina in Division Semi-Finals - Atlanta Gladiators
- Underhill named ECHL goaltender of the year - Alaska Aces
- Falcons activate Curtin - Fresno Falcons
- ECHL Game Of The Week Is Johnstown At Toledo - ECHL
- Steelheads Game Preview, West Division Semi-Finals, Game Two - Idaho Steelheads
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- Star Wars Blasts into Condorstown Friday - Bakersfield Condors
- Gwinnett's Campbell Named CCM Vector Most Valuable Player - ECHL
- Chiefs Win; Semi-Final Tickets on Sale Now - Johnstown Chiefs
- Campbell named ECHL MVP - Atlanta Gladiators
- Trio returns from AHL Chicago - Atlanta Gladiators
- Former ECHL Goaltender Sabourin Named AHL Goaltender Of The Year - ECHL
- Former Nailer nets AHL's 2005-06 Baz Bastien Award - Wheeling Nailers
- Alaska's Underhill Is Rbk Hockey Goaltender of the Year - ECHL
- Checkers vs. Stingrays game three tonight - Charlotte Checkers
- 'Blades get two assigned from AHL - Florida Everblades
- Former ECHL Player Fritz Named AHL Man Of The Year - ECHL
- After Four Year Hiatus, Grizzlies Playoff Hockey Returns To E-Center - Utah Grizzlies
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Everblades first round playoff schedule set - Florida Everblades
- Falcons Come from Behind to Take Game One in OT - Fresno Falcons
- Aces take Game Two, 3-1, up 2-0 in series - Alaska Aces
- Secure Your Seats For Extended Playoff Action - Bakersfield Condors
- Wranglers fall 1-0 to Idaho in two overtimes - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Kindle's The Hero As Steelheads Win Marathon, 1-0 Over Wranglers - Idaho Steelheads
- Fresno Takes Game 1 In OT, 4-3 - San Diego Gulls
- Former Grizzly Heisten's Two Goals lead Aces Past Grizzlies 3-1 - Utah Grizzlies
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.
