SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League honored Megan Cahill, vice president of communications and digital media for the Syracuse Crunch, and Bo Molina, ticket sales manager for the Texas Stars, with league awards at the 2024 AHL Team Business Meetings in Rosemont, Ill., today.
Cahill has been named the winner of the league’s Ken McKenzie Award for the 2023-24 season, and Molina has been selected as the recipient of the inaugural Frank Torres Memorial Award.
Recognizing the important role played by team management in building a successful franchise, the Ken McKenzie Award is presented annually to an AHL team executive who most successfully promotes his or her own club.
In her nine seasons with the Crunch, Cahill has been instrumental in growing and strengthening the team’s position within the Syracuse community and as one of the most forward-thinking organizations in minor pro sports. She is responsible for developing and implementing the team’s public relations and digital media strategies in coordination with their corporate partnerships, game operations and ticketing departments, working to promote the club and its players. Cahill also manages the Crunch’s social media accounts and online content; oversees all digital advertising; organizes community appearances; and serves as the primary media contact to maximize local and national exposure.
Outside of the Crunch, Cahill is considered one of the most respected front-office people in the AHL, serving as a valuable resource for her colleagues across the league.
The AHL’s Ken McKenzie Award, first presented in 1978, honors Ken McKenzie, the founder and long-time publisher of The Hockey News and a 1997 media honoree by the Hockey Hall of Fame as the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award winner. McKenzie was also the NHL’s first publicity director and creator of its first media guide.
The Frank Torres Memorial Award was established this season to honor Frank Torres, the vice president of business operations for the San Jose Barracuda who passed away in January. It is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding leadership in business development or sales while exemplifying creativity, support and integrity.
Molina began his AHL career in 2018 as a service representative with the San Antonio Rampage where he was hired and mentored by Torres, who was then the Rampage’s associate director of business operations. He joined the Stars in 2020 and completed his first full season in a leadership role in 2023-24, helping the organization achieve record revenues in nearly every sales category. Molina boasts an impressive sales and retention acumen and a devotion to the highest standard of customer service, in addition to demonstrating a strong ability to develop and foster business relationships.
In operation since 1936, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.