SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League held its 2025 Awards Gala during the Board of Governors’ Annual Meeting at Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Thursday evening, presenting several awards for excellence and service:
Rockford IceHogs president of business operations Ryan Snider has been voted by the Board as the winner of the James C. Hendy Memorial Award, given to the outstanding business executive in the American Hockey League.
Snider, who joined the IceHogs in 2021 following 15 years with Spurs Sports and Entertainment in San Antonio, has led an era of growth and development in Rockford, overseeing a staff that has created indelible fan experiences and integrated the IceHogs into the local community. Under Snider’s leadership, the organization has seen annual increases in ticket, merchandise and sponsorship sales, and he played a significant role in developing and designing the newly renovated BMO Center, an undertaking that helped Rockford win selection as the host for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic next season.
The James C. Hendy Memorial Award is named for the late Jim Hendy, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and AHL Hall of Fame and long-time statistician and historian for the AHL who won four Calder Cups as general manager of the Cleveland Barons.
Laval Rocket general manager John Sedgwick has been honored with the inaugural Bruce Landon Award as the AHL’s outstanding hockey operations executive for 2024-25.
Sedgwick, who also serves as assistant general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, assembled a Rocket roster that won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best regular-season record in the league (48-19-3-2, 101 points) and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, their second appearance in four years. Sedgwick’s accomplishments in Laval reverberated throughout the organization, as Rocket players contributed to both the Montreal Canadiens’ return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Trois-Rivieres Lions’ ECHL championship.
The Bruce Landon Award was created prior to the 2024-25 season to honor Bruce Landon, a member of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame and a mainstay in Springfield, Mass., as a player, executive and owner for nearly half a century.
Outgoing Charlotte Checkers chief operating officer Tera Black is the recipient of the Thomas Ebright Award in recognition of career contributions to the AHL.
Black, who spent 19 seasons with the Checkers organization before stepping away from her day-to-day role last week, oversaw all aspects of the team’s business operations. She was instrumental in countless milestone moments for the franchise, among them their move to the AHL in 2010, their return to Bojangles Coliseum in 2015, their Calder Cup championship in 2019 and their successful outdoor game venture in 2024. Widely regarded as one of the top business leaders – as well as a pioneering female – in the sports industry, Black has earned many accolades through the years, including winning the AHL’s Hendy Award in 2015-16 and becoming the first woman to have her name engraved on the Calder Cup.
The Thomas Ebright Award honors Tom Ebright, the former owner and governor of the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates who passed away in 1997.
The Laval Rocket (team of the year) and Jacob MacDonald of the Colorado Eagles (player excellence) were selected by AHL President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson as the 2024-25 winners of the President’s Awards.
The Rocket won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for finishing with the best record in the AHL during the 2024-25 regular season before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in four seasons. Off the ice, they remained a model of excellence in all areas of their operation, seeing continued business growth and providing a first-class experience to their fans at Place Bell where they averaged better than 9,900 fans per game during the regular season (including 23 sellouts).
MacDonald established an American Hockey League record in 2024-25, scoring more goals in a single season (31) than any defenseman in league history. He added 24 assists to lead all AHL blueliners in scoring with 55 points, equaling his career high, and finished with a plus/minus rating of plus-24 to rank tied for 10th in the entire league for an Eagles team that led the AHL in offense (3.47 goals scored per game) and tied for fourth in defense (2.57 goals allowed per game) en route to capturing their first Pacific Division title. MacDonald went on to earn First Team AHL All-Star honors – his third career postseason All-Star Team selection – as well as the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s outstanding defenseman.
Howson also announced that beginning in 2025-26, these awards will be known as the David Andrews Awards of Excellence, to honor the contributions of long-time league president Dave Andrews.
Established in 2009, the President’s Awards are given to an AHL organization and/or player for overall excellence in the past year.
Veteran linesperson Tommy George has been named the 2024-25 recipient of the Michael Condon Memorial Award for outstanding contributions by an on-ice official.
A native of Frederick, Md., George has been a member of the AHL’s officiating staff since 2005, working nearly 500 games. As one of the league’s most tenured on-ice officials, George has worked with and mentored many young officials through the years, demonstrating the expertise, professionalism and work ethic required to be successful. George has been recognized for his on-ice performance by being selected to work the 2014 men’s Olympic hockey tournament in Sochi, Russia, as well as six NCAA Frozen Fours and three IIHF World Championships.
The Michael Condon Memorial Award was created in 2002 following the sudden passing of veteran AHL linesman Mike Condon.
The League also recognized several outstanding achievements in a variety of categories with its annual Team Business Services awards.
As part of its Team Business Services program, the AHL honored clubs for top revenue growth in four areas during this past season: overall ticket sales, season-ticket sales, group-ticket sales and corporate sponsorship sales.
Overall Ticket Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Cleveland Monsters
Western Conference: Texas Stars
Season Ticket Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Cleveland Monsters
Western Conference: Milwaukee Admirals
Group Ticket Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Hartford Wolf Pack
Western Conference: San Jose Barracuda
Corporate Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Cleveland Monsters
Western Conference: Abbotsford Canucks
Additionally, teams from each conference were selected for excellence in the areas of digital media, community relations and fan experience.
Digital Media
Eastern Conference: Springfield Thunderbirds
Western Conference: Grand Rapids Griffins
Community Relations Excellence
Eastern Conference: Toronto Marlies
Western Conference: Coachella Valley Firebirds
Fan Experience Excellence
Eastern Conference: Laval Rocket
Western Conference: Chicago Wolves
The AHL also honored several teams and individuals for their efforts during the 2024-25 season at the league’s Team Business Meetings in Indianapolis last month, including the Springfield Thunderbirds as the marketing department of the year, the Rockford IceHogs as the merchandise department of the year, the Chicago Wolves as the sponsorship sales department of the year and the Cleveland Monsters as the ticket sales department of the year.
The Iowa Wild were recognized for unique ticket sales promotion or theme night (“Love in the Wild”); the Texas Stars were selected for immersive game operations experience (“Fallout Night”); the Chicago Wolves were chosen for unique community relations initiative (“Season Dedicated to the Dogs”); the Springfield Thunderbirds were honored for unique social media content (“Thunderbirds Jerseys Visit Germany”); the Rockford IceHogs were given the award for unique sponsorship package or entitlement (Hahnemühle “Official Fine Arts Provider” partnership); and the Cleveland Monsters were recognized for outstanding marketing campaign (“Fear the Depths”).
In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.