2023-24 OHL awards tracker
Red Tilson Trophy — Most Outstanding Player
Easton Cowan — London Knights
Cowan (TOR) finished his second OHL season with 96 points (34 goals) in 54 games and registred the league’s second-highest production rate of 1.78 points-per-game. He garnered league-wide attention with his 36-game point streak that spanned from Nov. 25 through the final game of the regular season on Mar. 24, eventually reaching a run of 42 games in the OHL Playoffs. The 36-game mark established a new London Knights franchise record and is the longest point streak the OHL has seen since 1995.
Cowan also had seven shorthanded goals – tied for the league lead – while his 14 shorthanded points were an OHL high. Cowan also represented Canada at the 2024 World Juniors.
Bobby Smith Trophy — Scholastic Player of the Year
Carter George — Owen Sound Attack
George put together a 93.8 per cent average across six Grade 12 university-level courses at Owen Sound District Secondary School. George’s transcript was headlined by a 99 per cent grade in Business Co-Op, a 97 per cent in Organizational Business and 95 per cent finishes in both English and International Business.
On the ice, George stopped a league-high 1,744 shots and went 23-21-9 with a 3.30 GAA and .907 save percentage alongside four shutouts, a figure that tied for the League-lead. Recently, he backstopped Canada to gold at the 2024 U18 World Championships.
Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy — Humanitarian of the Year
Mason Vaccari — Kingston Frontenacs
Through his “Mason’s Miracles” initiative, Vaccari 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 regular season.
On the ice, Vaccari helped the Fronts return to the OHL Playoffs after he went 27-27-3 during the regular season. His 59 games played were the second most in the OHL.
William Hanley Trophy — Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year
Jett Luchanko — Guelph Storm
Luchanko led the Storm with 74 points (20 goals) and recorded just 36 penalty minutes as he appeared in all 68 games. The 17-year-old collected 30 assists on the power play, a figure that finished tied for second in the OHL this season. Ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, Luchanko was listed as the 20th ranked skater in North America in NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings.
Max Kaminsky Trophy — OHL Defenceman of the Year
Zayne Parekh — Saginaw Spirit
Parekh led all OHL defencemen with 33 goals and 96 points in 2023-24 to establish new Spirit franchise records in each category. He follows John Slaney (Cornwall, 1989-90) as just the second defenceman in OHL history to score more than 30 goals in his first season of NHL Draft eligibility. Parekh is the first Saginaw Spirit player to ever win the OHL Defenceman of the Year Award. Parekh was listed as the fifth ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft.
Jim Rutherford Trophy — OHL Goaltender of the Year
Jacob Oster — Oshawa Generals
Oster’s 35 wins led the OHL, and were tied for the most in the CHL, while he also registered a 2.82 GAA and .935 save percentage. Oster, who played 3,569 minutes, also tied a Generals franchise record by appearing in 60 games.
Emms Family Award — OHL Rookie of the Year
Jake O’Brien — Brantford Bulldogs
O’Brien led all rookie OHL skaters with 51 assists and 64 points across 61 games with Brantford, both of which established Bulldogs rookie franchise records. His 51 assists were the most by an OHL rookie in his first year of eligibility since Sarnia’s Alex Galchenyuk registered 52 in 2010-11.
Matt Leyden Trophy — OHL Coach of the Year
Derek Laxdal — Oshawa Generals
Laxdal led Oshawa to a 40-win season and to the top seed in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. In his second season behind Oshawa’s bench, Laxdal joins other past Generals coaches in DJ Smith (2013-14), Paul Theriault (1986-87), Bill White (1977-78) and inaugural winner Gus Bodnar (1971-72) as the fifth coach in franchise history to win the Matt Leyden Trophy.
Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy — Overage Player of the Year
Matthew Sop — Kitchener Rangers
In his final season, Kitchener native Sop had a career high 43 goals and 90 points in 67 games. Sop’s 10 game-winning goals and five overtime goals were tied for the OHL lead. Sop, who spent four seasons with the Rangers, finished his OHL career with 76 goals and 169 points in 203 games.