The Professional Hockey Players Association has announced that Michael DiPietro of the Providence Bruins has been honored as the inaugural recipient of the PHPA’s Doug Messier Award for the 2025-26 American Hockey League season.

Photo: Kaiolena Tacazon

This award will be presented annually to the most outstanding player in each of the AHL and the ECHL, as voted by fellow members of the PHPA.

A founding member of the PHPA, Doug Messier helped lead the effort to form a players’ association in the Western Hockey League in 1967, which evolved into the PHPA when players from the AHL joined the movement the following year. Recipients of this award will exemplify excellence, professionalism and the kind of character that earns the respect of their peers: qualities that reflect Messier’s enduring impact on the game.

DiPietro finished the regular season with a record of 34-8-1 while leading the AHL in save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (1.91). His league-best 34 wins helped Providence capture the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s regular season champions. DiPietro was also voted the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL MVP and the Baz Bastien Award as the most outstanding goaltender, and he was selected a First-Team AHL All-Star.