Eagles Win AHL 2026 Award of Excellence
Jul 8, 2026
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League held its 2026 Awards Gala during the Board of Governors’ Annual Meeting at Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Wednesday evening, presenting several awards for excellence and service:
The Cleveland Monsters’ Mike Ostrowski 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.
As president of franchise teams for Rock Entertainment Group, Ostrowski leads every aspect of the Monsters’ business operations. Under his leadership, the organization delivered one of the strongest seasons in the American Hockey League, combining record attendance numbers with significant revenue growth and expanded media visibility. Ostrowski’s 15 seasons with the Monsters has been marked by sustained excellence and an enduring commitment to the Cleveland community.
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.
Rockford IceHogs president of hockey operations and general manager Mark Bernard has been honored with the Bruce Landon Award as the AHL’s outstanding hockey operations executive for 2025-26.
Faced with personal health challenges this past season – including a successful liver transplant in March – Bernard continued to lead Rockford’s hockey staff without missing a beat. He was key in the planning process for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic hosted by the IceHogs, and he also played a pivotal role on the AHL’s collective bargaining committee, attending numerous meetings and helping to navigate a resolution on a new agreement between the league and the PHPA.
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.
Milwaukee Admirals president Jon Greenberg is the recipient of the Thomas Ebright Award in recognition of career contributions to the AHL.
A lifelong resident of the Milwaukee area, Greenberg has overseen the day-to-day business operations of the Admirals since joining the club in 2005 following more than two decades with the Milwaukee Brewers. Greenberg’s leadership has resulted in steady business growth in all areas every year, helping to fortify the Admirals’ footprint in a major-league market. Greenberg has also been a valued member of several AHL committees through the years, providing instrumental guidance to the league’s business development.
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 Colorado Eagles (team of the year) and Logan Shaw of the Toronto Marlies (player excellence) were selected by AHL President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson as the 2025-26 winners of the David Andrews Awards of Excellence.
The Eagles finished with a record of 41-20-6-5 (93 points) under rookie head coach Mark Letestu during the 2025-26 regular season – their fourth consecutive 40-win campaign – before advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since joining the AHL in 2018. Off the ice, the Eagles continued to be a model of excellence throughout their operation, which sees them consistently among the league’s business leaders in ticket and corporate sales revenues as well as their community relations efforts. Colorado extended their sellout streak to 169 consecutive games by filling every seat at Blue Federal Credit Union Arena for the fourth year in a row.
In his fourth season with the Marlies, Shaw captained the team to the 2026 Calder Cup championship while exhibiting the leadership qualities that have made him one of the league’s most respected players over his 13 seasons as a pro. Shaw, who has been Toronto’s captain since signing with the Marlies in 2022, played in all 96 of the team’s games in 2025-26, leading the team with 54 points in the regular season before adding 17 points during the playoffs. The native of Glace Bay, N.S., is a three-time AHL All-Star and was voted the winner of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award in 2022-23 as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.
Established in 2009 and named in honor of long-time league president Dave Andrews in 2025, these awards are given to an AHL organization and/or player for overall excellence in the past year.
Veteran referee Jarrod Ragusin has been named the 2025-26 recipient of the Michael Condon Memorial Award for outstanding contributions by an on-ice official.
A native of Saint Charles, Ill., Ragusin has been a member of the AHL’s officiating staff since 2010, working nearly 450 games – including the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford. As one of the league’s most tenured on-ice officials, Ragusin has worked with and mentored many young officials through the years, demonstrating the expertise, professionalism and work ethic required to be successful.
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: Laval Rocket
Western Conference: Colorado Eagles
Season Ticket Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Laval Rocket
Western Conference: San Jose Barracuda
Group Ticket Sales Growth
Eastern Conference: Charlotte Checkers
Western Conference: Tucson Roadrunners
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: Hershey Bears
Western Conference: Bakersfield Condors
Community Relations Excellence
Eastern Conference: Utica Comets
Western Conference: Iowa Wild
Fan Experience Excellence
Eastern Conference: Laval Rocket
Western Conference: Colorado Eagles
The AHL also honored several teams and individuals for their efforts during the 2025-26 season at the league’s Team Business Meetings in Grand Rapids last month, including the Syracuse Crunch as the marketing department of the year, the Texas Stars as the merchandise department of the year, the Cleveland Monsters as the sponsorship sales department of the year and the Laval Rocket as the ticket sales department of the year.
The Chicago Wolves were recognized for unique ticket sales promotion or theme night (“National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Night”); the Lehigh Valley Phantoms were selected for immersive game operations experience (“PhanCon Night”); the Milwaukee Admirals were chosen for unique community relations initiative (“American Sign Language Night”); the Manitoba Moose were honored for unique social media content (“In Antlers” video series); the Cleveland Monsters were given the award for unique sponsorship package or entitlement (Rocket “Your Love of Sports Starts at Home” partnership); and the Rochester Americans were recognized for outstanding marketing campaign (“70 Seasons of Amerks Hockey”).
In operation since 1936 and celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, 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.
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