The Syracuse Crunch are proud to announce that left wing Jeffrey Szwez has been named the team’s winner of the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Syracuse Crunch community during the 2006-07 season.

Despite beginning the season in Dayton (ECHL), Szwez has made a home in Syracuse since the beginning of December having appeared in a total of 39 games tallying a career high 11 goals and 18 points to date, while also being one of the most active players in the Crunch’s community relations efforts.

Szwez enjoyed giving back to the youth hockey community and was active in attending local practices through the team''s Partner’s Trust Youth Hockey Practices with the Crunch, raising money for the Vera House and Onondaga Youth Hockey Association and participating in on-ice clinics.

In recognition of his efforts, Szwez will be presented with an etched crystal trophy during an on-ice presentation prior to an upcoming Crunch home game.

Szwez is now one of 27 finalists for the AHL’s 2006-07 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall 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 later this month.

The Crunch host Grand Rapids on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the crunch office at (315) 473-4444, stopping by the Oncenter box office located on the state street side of the War Memorial or by calling TicketMaster at (315) 472-0700.