The Professional Hockey Writers Association is pleased to announce the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers have been selected as 2023 winners of the Dick Dillman Award, presented annually to honor the excellence of NHL public relations staffs in each conference.
The Hurricanes are no stranger to the Dillman, having been awarded the Dillman Trophy in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Similarly, the Oilers were honored by the selection committee in 2020-21.
“It’s no secret that PR staffs are one of the linchpins to storytelling for journalists, and the staffs in Edmonton and Carolina have shown themselves to be among the class of the hockey world time and time again,” said PHWA president Frank Seravalli. “Without their assistance and support, we’d have a much more difficult time telling hockey’s stories on a daily basis and serving as the conduit between fans and the players and executives they’re craving to learn more about. Thank you to Mike Sundheim and Jamie Cartmell and their teams for setting the bar for how to develop a rapport and relationship with the media in 2023.”
In Edmonton, the Oilers’ communications department is led by Jamie Cartmell, director of hockey communications, along with hockey communications manager Shawn May.
“We’re honoured and humbled to be selected as the 2023 Dick Dillman Award winner,” said Cartmell. “Our thanks to not only to the voting members of the PHWA for this recognition, but also our players, coaches and hockey operations staff whose cooperation and willingness to share their time and their stories have made this award possible. Thanks also to those who cover the Edmonton Oilers, your efforts are critical to our success off the ice and it’s our pleasure to work with you.”
The Carolina Hurricanes public relations staff is headed by Mike Sundheim, longtime vice president of communications and team services, along with Mike Brown, manager of communications and David Piper, communications coordinator.
“We take pride in working with writers from across the league and trying to be as helpful as we can,” Sundheim said. “That wouldn’t be possible without buy-in from our owner, GM, coaching staff and players, and for that we are grateful. Thank you to the PHWA for this honor, which truly means a lot to our staff.”
The Dillman Award is presented in honor of the late, great Minnesota North Stars public relations guru Dick Dillman. The Dillman committee is chaired by Dillman’s daughter, Lisa Dillman, and voting is conducted by a panel of senior PHWA members.