HARTFORD, March 28, 2011:  The Connecticut Whale are proud to announce that Jared Nightingale has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Hartford community during the 2010-11 season.

CT WhaleNightingale has been tireless in his enthusiasm for community outreach during this 2010-11 Connecticut Whale season.  He has consistently been the first to offer his time to any charitable, school or hospital appearance that is scheduled and has on many occasions taken it upon himself to initiate appearances, without prompting from the team.  He has forged tight relationships with area hospitals, including Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Gaylord Rehabilitation Hospital, which is the beneficiary of the Whale’s annual “Tip a Player Dinner and Sports Carnival”, and has made a significant impression on many a student and faculty member at countless school visits.

Nightingale is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2010-11 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/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 by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.