HENDERSON (April 15, 2025) – The Henderson Silver Knights announced today, April 15, that defenseman Mason Geertsen has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Henderson community during the 2024-25 season.

In his tenth professional season, and second with the Silver Knights, Geertsen has been a community leader on and off the ice for the Silver Knights. This is the third time in his career that he has been honored with this award by his team.

In November, Geertsen announced that he is in remission after battling B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma during the 2023-24 season, which he shared during the Silver Knights’ Hockey Fights Cancer initiative to encourage others battling cancer and to promote early detection efforts.

Geertsen has been a frequent participant for two seasons in Silver Knights hospital visits and community appearances, with a particular enthusiasm for working with children.

“Mason is a very special player and person because he cares so much,” said General Manager Tim Speltz. “He protects his teammates on the ice, but off the ice he has an incredible passion for helping people. He’s a person who seeks opportunities to make a difference, and that makes him an inspiration for his teammates and for our fans.”

Geertsen and his family launched the Geertsen Opportunity Foundation this year, a charity dedicated to making hockey accessible to children in underserved communities across Canada and the United States. He and his wife, Clarity, are also regular volunteers at Henderson Animal Shelter and foster dogs often.

Geertsen 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 AHL’s annual Man of the Year award is named after the late Yanick Dupré, who died in 1997 at the age of 24 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. Dupré, an AHL All-Star in 1995, played four seasons with the Hershey Bears and also skated in 35 National Hockey League games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

ABOUT THE HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS

The Henderson Silver Knights are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Silver Knights are owned in part by Bill Foley and his family and operated by the Foley Entertainment Group. The Silver Knights play their home games at Lee’s Family Forum, a state-of-the-art arena in Henderson, NV. For the latest news and information on the Silver Knights visit hendersonsilverknights.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.