Owen Sillinger named Monsters’ AHL Man of the Year finalist

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Cleveland Monsters forward Owen Sillinger has been named the team’s IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year for the 2025-26 season for his community work in Northeast Ohio.

Sillinger, an assistant captain who has spent five seasons with Cleveland, is now one of 32 finalists for the AHL’s Yanick Dupré Memorial Award, the league’s overall Man of the Year honor. The league award winner will be announced at a later date.

Among his efforts, Sillinger participated in the Monsters’ University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Night on Feb. 21, when the team wore specialty jerseys and apparel and used locker room nameplates designed in part by hospital patients. Sillinger worked with 10-year-old Armie Volkmer on a redesigned Monsters logo that appeared on custom hats, according to the team. The jerseys, hats and nameplates were auctioned, with proceeds benefiting UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

The Monsters also cited Sillinger’s role in the club’s Holiday Adopt-a-Family initiative and his participation in the team’s Hockey For Heroes program, which honors local veterans at Friday home games and includes a postgame meet-and-greet.

The Dupré award is named for former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star Yanick Dupré, who died in 1997 after a battle with leukemia.