Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Mason Vaccari of the Kingston Frontenacs is the 2023-24 recipient of the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy presented annually to the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year.
Through his “Mason’s Miracles” initiative, Vaccari has raised more than $13,200 for the Pediatric Wing at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, a figure that will continue to grow into the summer.
At the outset of the season, Vaccari prioritized using his athletic gifts to make an impact in the lives of children, setting up various fundraising initiatives to benefit the local hospital. He started by donating .50 cents of his own money for each of the 1,458 saves he’d go on to make during the 2023-24 season, a figure that would be matched by generous community supporters. Members of the Kingston hockey community donated at a link created through canadahelps.org throughout the season, further bolstering Vaccari’s fundraising efforts.
The 19-year-old goaltender also went to great lengths to form personal connections with young patients in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Pediatric Wing, making visits there on off-days throughout the season.
“Being recognized with this award is truly an honour,” said Vaccari. “When the idea of Mason’s Miracles first started, the goal was to give back to the community that has given my teammates and I a home away from home. I’m very proud to have surpassed our goal of raising $10,000 for the Pediatric ward and am confident that this money will go a long way toward making a difference for children needing care at the hospital.
“I’d especially like to thank Charette Custom Homes for believing in me, this mission, and matching my donations over the course of the year. I’d also like to thank the doctors, nurses and families who allowed my teammates and I to spend time with and get to know some of the children within the ward. I really enjoyed my visits and these were some of my favourite memories of the season.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone including my family, friends, billets, the rest of the Frontenacs organization, and everyone else who has made a donation online, contributed their time to get the word out, and sent me messages of encouragement along the way. I am so grateful for your support and I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without you.”
An 89 percent student in his final semester of high school, Vaccari quickly enrolled in online university prep courses including Economics and Human Development to close out 2023-24. He got creative in his fundraising work, holding a design-a-mask contest that continues to raise funds through an online auction that is still ongoing here.
“We are extremely proud of Mason for his efforts in our community,” said Frontenacs General Manager Kory Cooper. “When players arrive in Kingston, we stress the importance of being involved in the community and being good people on and off the ice. Mason has taken that to the next level this season. He provides us with a great example of what players in our organization and our league can accomplish with their platform. Mason is deserving of this award, and he should be proud of what he has accomplished with Mason’s Miracles.”
Vaccari, who hails from Mississauga, Ont., was busy in the crease as well, appearing in 59 games while going 27-27-3-0 with a 3.55 goals-against average and .880 save percentage. His 1,458 saves were the fourth-most in the OHL this season. The former fourth round pick by Kingston in 2021 has played to a career regular season mark that includes a record of 38-41-3-0 with a 3.54 goals-against average and .887 save percentage over 88 games.
Vaccari was the front-runner for this year’s OHL Humanitarian of the Year Award, with North Bay Battalion defenceman Ty Nelson finishing as the runner-up for his tremendous efforts with Community Living North Bay.
Each year the OHL awards a player that has demonstrated outstanding qualities as a positive role model in the community with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy. The Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors announced in 2004 that the OHL Humanitarian of the Year award would be named in recognition of the former Owen Sound Platers captain, who was twice named his team’s Humanitarian of the Year in recognition of his tremendous efforts in supporting community activities.
Vaccari follows Andrew Raycroft (1999-2000) and David Ling (1994-95) to become the third player in Frontenacs franchise history to win the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy. Other recent OHL recipients include Dalyn Wakely of the North Bay Battalion (2022-23) and Mark Woolley of the Owen Sound Attack (2021-22).
Vaccari will be the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League Humanitarian of the Year Award, presented at the CHL Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 1 during the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow which takes place in Saginaw, Michigan from May 24 through June 2. Vaccari will be formally presented with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, June 12 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
For a complete list of OHL award winners, click here.
“For many kids, coming to the hospital for care or treatment can be scary. One of the goals of our team is to make the hospital stay as positive as possible. When Mason offered to spend some time visiting patients, he didn’t just brighten their afternoon – he made a positive impact on their entire hospital experience. This was especially apparent when visiting patients in our pediatric oncology playroom. Here he spent time playing mini-sticks, bubble hockey & video games with a handful of hockey-obsessed kids, bursting with excitement to face-off against a real OHL goalie.
Our hospitals rely on the generosity of donors to fund things like equipment and patient care items. Mason’s fundraising and monetary donation has the potential to make an impact on young patients for years to come and goes a long way in inspiring a culture of philanthropy among his peers and fans.”
– Erika Kooi (Program Manager – Pediatrics, NICU & Child Life at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre)
OHL Writers 