San Antonio’s A.J. Greer Named Winner of Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as AHL’s Man of the Year

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE’S A.J. GREER NAMED WINNER OF YANICK DUPRE MEMORIAL AWARD AS AHL’S MAN OF THE YEAR

SAN ANTONIO (April 11, 2017) – The American Hockey League announced today that A.J. Greer of the San Antonio Rampage has been selected as the winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as the 2016-17 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year.

This award has been presented annually since 1998 to an AHL player for his outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. The Yanick Dupre Memorial Award winner is selected by the AHL and representatives from IOA and American Specialty from among 30 individual team Man of the Year honorees.

Having dedicated nearly his entire life to bringing goodwill to children’s hospitals, Greer has made raising awareness of childhood cancer a top priority in San Antonio this season. From scheduling weekly visits during off-days to providing game tickets and locker room tours, Greer has placed an emphasis on helping young cancer patients and their families. He shared that passion throughout the Rampage’s Face Off Against Kids Cancer initiative, going above and beyond the team’s usual efforts, and emceed a local St. Baldrick’s Foundation event that raised more than $88,000 for children’s cancer research.

“We are proud of the accomplishments that A.J. had on and off the ice,” said Rampage Head Coach Eric Veilleux. “He went above and beyond with the amount of time and dedication that he put into the San Antonio Community."

Read: "Man of the Year" by Lorne Chan, sarampage.com

Greer actively participated in the Rampage’s Pink in the Rink event in support of breast cancer awareness, and has generously volunteered his time to assist the efforts of Spurs Sports & Entertainment’s nonprofit partner Silver & Black Give Back through the Team Up Challenge, providing funding for youth-led service projects that better the San Antonio community.

A 20-year-old rookie from Joliette, Que., Greer has also been one of the Rampage’s leaders on the ice in 2016-17, posting 15 goals and 23 assists for 38 points in 63 games. Greer, a second-round choice (39th overall) by Colorado in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, also made his National Hockey League debut with the Avalanche this season and represented the Rampage at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic.

The AHL’s annual Man of the Year award is named after the late Yanick Dupre, 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, Dupre played four seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears and was an AHL All-Star in 1995.

In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and through the years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 2016-17 regular season ends Saturday, and then 16 clubs will continue to vie for the league’s coveted championship trophy when the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway next week.

The winner of the 2016-17 Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award (outstanding coach) will be announced Wednesday.

San Antonio begins its final three-game series of the season with the Texas Stars, on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. All Rampage games can be heard on Ticket 760 and SARampage.com. Individual tickets are available and can be purchased by calling a Rampage representative at 210-444-5554 or online at SARampage.com. The 2016-17 season is presented by Wells Fargo.

SARampage.com