A Manitoba Moose defenceman has been named the AHL Man of the Year.
The AHL announced this morning that defenceman Tyrel Bauer has been awarded the 2026 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as the league’s Man of the Year.
Join us in congratulating Tyrel Bauer, who is the winner of the 2026 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Man of the Year! 🥳
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Presented annually since 1998, the award recognizes an AHL player for outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations. The recipient is selected by the AHL and representatives from IOA and American Specialty from among the 32 team Man of the Year honourees.
Bauer becomes the third player in franchise history to receive the honour, joining Jimmy Roy (2003) and Jimmy Oligny (2023). He was also recognized by the Moose in both 2025 and 2026 with the EPRA Julian Klymkiw Community Service Award and the Richard Bue Ultimate Teammate Award, and earned this season’s Fan Favourite Award.
In the community, Bauer continued his work with the Kinship and Foster Family Network of Manitoba. He also served in his third consecutive season as a coach with the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy, while participating in Project 11 events, the True North Youth Foundation Gala, and several other initiatives.
In 52 games with Manitoba this season, Bauer recorded one goal and four assists for five points, while setting a new career high with 110 penalty minutes. His lone goal was his first since the 2023-24 AHL season. Over 214 career AHL games, Bauer has totaled five goals and 16 assists for 21 points, along with 401 penalty minutes.
The six-foot-three blueliner signed a one-year contract with the Jets organization last summer worth $775k and is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
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