ZACHARY METSA NAMED AMERKS’ 2024-25 IOA/AMERICAN SPECIALTY AHL MAN OF THE YEAR
Two-time winner now one of 32 finalists for the 2024-25 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award
Apr 15, 2025The Rochester Americans are proud to announce that defenseman Zachary Metsa has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding commitment and contributions to the Rochester community during the 2024-25 season.
Metsa, who wins the award for the second straight year, continued to spearhead several of the team’s community outreach efforts this season while deepening the organization’s footprint across the Greater Rochester Area.
Metsa’s primary area of focus this season was promoting literacy and education both in schools and at local libraries through the ever-popular Reading Power Play Program, which celebrated its remarkable 19th season in 2024-25. Through the Amerks Reading Power Play program, presented exclusively by Wendy’s, kids are able to learn about the game of hockey and the importance of reading. Through the support of Metsa and his teammates, the four-month program enjoyed its most successful season since its inception with more than 700 participants reading more than 2,000 books.
As the holidays approached, Metsa was among a full-team outing as all 25 Amerks players, in addition to head coach Michael Leone and assistant coach Nathan Paetsch, visited two Rochester-area hospitals in the same day to deliver gifts, visit with patients and help spread holiday cheer.
The Amerks once again partnered with New York’s 529 College Savings Plan for another season of the Amerks Jr. Reporter Program and Metsa helped provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to local kids that won the chance to interview him and get a tour of the Amerks locker room afterwards as well as watch an Amerks practice.
Following the new year, Metsa, who captained Quinnipiac University to a NCAA National Championship in 2023, led a contingent of Amerks players back to Holy Childhood for the continuation of the annual ball hockey game. For nearly 80 years, Holy Childhood, a non-denominational, non-profit agency, has enriched the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dedicated to serving students and adults in an atmosphere of dignity and compassion, the school’s mission is to prepare children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for maximum independence and integration in the community through individualized programs and services, in keeping with the philosophy and vision of the school’s founders.
To begin the month of March, Metsa worked with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association to bring their Grow with the Pros! Mentor Program to Rochester. The second-year defenseman served as the lead instructor alongside teammates Josh Dunne and Riley Fiddler-Schultz for the event, which included a one-hour on-ice skill development session followed by an interactive off-ice panel style discussion. In addition to emphasizing on-ice development, the program also fosters the importance of teamwork, character, sportsmanship while maintaining a positive attitude and love of the game.
In the days leading up to Rochester’s annual Hometown Heroes game on March 28, Metsa was among several players who delivered coffee and lunch through the generosity of some of the team’s closest community partners to first responders and frontline workers. The week-long initiative included players visiting local firehouses and law enforcement agencies before returning to the hospitals to provide meals for Rochester’s medical professionals.
One of Metsa’s most admirable attributes is his willingness to develop personal relationships with the fans. On game nights when youth teams would sit on bench for warm-ups, Metsa always took it upon himself to greet the kids with a smile and thank them for being such loyal supporters of the team.
In addition to being a true Amerks ambassador both on and off the ice, these are just a few of the many outstanding things Metsa has done consistently to make a difference in the Greater Rochester Community.
Metsa is now one of 32 finalists for the AHL’s 2024-25 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/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 Dupré Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.
Amerks 2024-25 single-game tickets start at just $10 while 2025-26 Season Ticket Memberships, which start as low as $19 per game, are on-sale now and come with several Members-only perks and benefits. Full and Half Season Membership options are also available. For more information on Amerks Season Tickets or to sign up today, call 585-454-5335 or visit www.amerks.com/memberships.