Checkers’ Branecky honored with Ken McKenzie Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League has selected Paul Branecky, vice president of marketing and communications for the Charlotte Checkers, as the winner of the league’s Ken McKenzie Award for the 2018-19 season.

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.

Branecky joined the Checkers in 2011 following six seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, and is currently responsible for the club’s overall marketing, public relations, media relations, and digital and social media efforts. Branecky oversees a creative team that continually attracts fans and generates revenue organically through engaging and entertaining content, and he is widely respected for his strategic leadership and creativity, playing a key role in the organization’s strong presence within Charlotte’s busy sports and entertainment landscape.

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. Mr. McKenzie was also the NHL’s first publicity director and creator of its first media guide.