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AHL Hershey Bears

Nathan Walker Named Hershey Bears' 2015-16 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year

March 31, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


HERSHEY, Pa. - The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is proud to announce that Nathan Walker has been named the team's winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Hershey-area community during the 2015-16 season.

Now in his third professional season, the first-ever Australian to play in the American Hockey League has dramatically increased his role in the central Pennsylvania region. After his first visit to a local school in 2013-14, teachers and students alike fell in love with his accent, and Walker has never stopped going back.

He has become a cult hero in the Sydney, Australia area and all over the continent for his play, but his community work set him apart this season. The 22-year-old went far above and beyond the expectations of the Hockey Club to take the lead in the "Roaring to Read" program, which rewards local school students with game tickets for reading and for keeping grades up. Walker was an active, never-say-no volunteer all season long at local sponsor events, which included the Labatt Bubble Hockey tournament. He also participated in the team's "Pink the Rink" initiative for breast cancer awareness and the "Movember" movement for promoting men's health. He also joined his teammates on a monthly visit to the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital, ensuring that children had a brighter day.

The highlight of the season came in early March, when Walker participated in an impromptu skate with local special needs youngsters from the American Special Hockey Association at GIANT Center.

Walker is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL's 2015-16 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former 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 at a later date.

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