Francis Wathier named Stars AHL Man of the Year
April 4, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Iowa Chops News Release
DES MOINES, IA - The Iowa Stars are proud to announce that Left Wing Francis Wathier has been named the team's winner of the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Des Moines area community during the 2005-06 season.
Though he faced a season-ending injury just 11 games into his rookie season, Wathier has been one of the most visible Iowa Stars players in the Des Moines area community. The 21-year old forward and his fiancée Isabel quickly assimilated themselves into their new community by volunteering their time and energy to various Iowa Stars appearances and initiatives. Whether it was volunteering to help serve Thanksgiving Day dinner to the residents of the Town of Woodward, IA that were affected by a tornado in early November or spending a few hours on a Saturday evening with local Boy Scout Troops at their awards banquet, the Wathiers graciously offered up their time, most notably at local schools.
Throughout the season, Francis and Isabel would spend time at local Des Moines area elementary schools as part of the school's reading programs as well as the Character Counts school initiative. When not taking the time to stress the importance of school and education, Francis could be seen signing autographs for the over 800 Boy Scouts on Boy Scout Night, signing for various charitable organizations and visiting Blank Children's Hospital.
In recognition of his efforts, Francis will be presented with an etched crystal trophy during an on-ice presentation prior to an upcoming Stars home game.
Wathier is now one of 27 finalists for the AHL's 2005-06 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall 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 later this month.
STARS NEXT GAMES: The Iowa Stars play in Omaha against the Knights on April 7th. Game time is 7:00 PM. Iowa's next home game is Tuesday, April 11th against Chicago. Game time is 7:05 PM. It's 2 for 1 Tuesday! Show your valid College, High School or Military Identification and receive two $21 tickets for the price of one! Iowa then plays in Peoria on Friday, April 14th, before closing out the Regular Season at home on Saturday, April 15th and Sunday, April 16th. Doors open for all home games one hour prior to face-off. All ticketing information can be obtained by calling 515-23-STARS or by visiting iowastarshockey.com.
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American Hockey League Stories from April 4, 2006
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