WORCESTER—The Worcester Railers Hockey Club is once again being recognized not just for what it does on the ice, but for the work it puts in far beyond the rink.
The Railers have been named a finalist for the 2025-26 ECHL Community Service Team of the Year Award, marking the seventh consecutive season the team has been up for the league’s top community honor.
“We are incredibly proud to be nominated again for the Community Service Team of the Year Award,” said Chief Operating Officer Michael G. Myers in an announcement Tuesday. “Our community outreach is something that has been ingrained in the core values of our organization since its inception. We look forward to further growing our community impact throughout the Central Massachusetts community.”
The Railers previously won the award in 2019 to 2022, and again in 2024.
Since its founding in 2016, the Worcester Railers HC Foundation has donated more than $1.8 million to local causes and partnered with more than 750 community organizations across Central Massachusetts. Its outreach efforts have emphasized youth-based programming and access to hockey for all.
In the 2024-25 season alone, the foundation donated more than $225,000 to area nonprofits, logged more than 2,600 volunteer hours, and brought more than 2,000 local kids into the team’s flagship initiative, Skate to Success.
In addition to the community service nomination, the team is a finalist for several other ECHL honors:
- Specialty Jersey of the Year – Worcester 6
- Ticket Sales Professional of the Year – Paul O’Leary
- Rising Star Award
The ECHL Team Awards, presented by SponsorCX, will be announced at the league’s Hockey Summer Meetings in Orlando on Wednesday, June 25.
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