For the second straight season the nominee for the Manitoba Moose representative for the AHL Man of the Year award will be captain Jimmy Oligny.
The Quebec product is in his fifth season as part of the organization. He was named captain in December of 2021.
It has been a difficult season for the captain as an offseason training injury caused him to miss the first three months of the season. He made his debut in January but with so many D prospects he was often part of a rotation in and out of the lineup this season.
This played is selected by their respective teams for:
“their outstanding contributions to the local community and charitable organizations during the 2022-23 season.”
Given all the outreach he does in the community his selection makes a lot of sense.
Here is what the team wrote about their selection:
Oligny created a new program in conjunction with the Kinship and Foster Family Network of Manitoba. Kinship and Foster Family Network of Manitoba provides kinship and foster parents with training, guidance and assistance to enhance their capacities, knowledge and skills to provide quality care. As part of the program, Oligny hosted foster families at Moose home games. The foster children and their caregivers received Moose merchandise, tickets to the game and met with Oligny post-game.
Oligny is a frequent supporter of the True North Youth Foundation (TNYF). He spoke at the annual Jets Gala, an event that raised nearly $300,000 to support underserved youth in Manitoba. The St. Michel, Que. native worked with TNYF’s Project 11, fielding students’ mental wellness questions in both English and French, for the Moose Project 11 School Day Game. Oligny also traveled to Ecole Heritage Immersion to speak with students about mental health.
The Moose captain opened the season speaking to fans at Winnipeg Jets Fan Fast. He went on to spend time at a St.Amant autism early learning classroom, served breakfast at Siloam Mission and read to elementary students at Balmoral Hall School. The father of three helped raise funds for Camp Quality Manitoba by signing Moose mystery pucks to be sold at the team’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer game. He also visited Assiniboine Park Zoo, along with teammates in January, to interact with fans. Finally, Oligny met with the puck drop participants from Manitoba’s Pride Game to learn about their individual programs and how they’re making a difference in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
The winner of the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award will be announced by the AHL on May 4th.