Battalion’s Wakely wins Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy as OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year

 

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Dalyn Wakely of the North Bay Battalion is the 2022-23 recipient of the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy presented annually to the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year.

The Wake’s Sake initiative featured Wakely and a rotating cast of Battalion teammates serving every Tuesday from November through the end of the regular season at the Gathering Place, a community kitchen that serves the city’s homeless and low income populations. Wakely and his Battalion teammates would prepare and serve meals while building friendships with people from across the community that frequented the Gathering Place.

In addition, the Wake’s Sake initiative held monthly donation drives to benefit underserved populations in the region, raising a final tally of $2,100 in monetary donations for the Gathering Place along with over 600 winter coats, 450 mitts and gloves, 400 hats and more than 2,000 hygiene products generously donated by Battalion fans at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

“I am truly honoured to be recognized by the league for an award like the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy,” said Wakely. “Looking back at past winners and the impact they had in their community, I think it’s pretty cool to be in that group of guys.

“Being in North Bay, Nick Paul was a Battalion and to this day you can see the lasting impact he’s had on people here so to be achieving something like him is an accomplishment I’m certainly proud of,” Wakely added. “Reflecting on this year it’s been amazing to be representing North Bay and the Battalion with the Wake’s Sake’s initiative. I was able to spend a lot of time in the community and I want to give thanks to everyone at the Gathering Place, and within our organization for all the support put into planning behind the scenes because without that, this isn’t possible.

“To North Bay and the Battalion, thank you for supporting myself and the team through this amazing year, it has helped shape me into the teammate and young man I am today.”

In addition to his presence in the North Bay community, Wakely continues to be a key to the Battalion’s on-ice success, coming off a 30-goal season that yielded 49 points (30-19–49) over 66 games and carrying his play over into the postseason where he has seven points (5-2–7) heading into North Bay’s Eastern Conference Championship Series matchup against Peterborough. The 19-year-old from Curve Lake First Nation had a strong first season in the OHL in 2021-22, recording 34 points (20-14–34) over 67 games after being selected by the Battalion in the second round (30th overall) of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection.

“Dalyn has been a leader on and off the ice ever since the day he stepped foot in North Bay,” said Battalion General Manager Adam Dennis. “He puts his teammates first and is always willing to help those around him. He has made a major impact on this community and we are proud of him for his accomplishments.”

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 renamed 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.

Wakely follows Nick Paul (2015) as the second player in Battalion franchise history to win the award. Former captain Brad Brown of the 1994-95 North Bay Centennials was also a past winner in the Gateway to the North. Other recent Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy recipients include Mark Woolley of the Owen Sound Attack in 2022, Jacob Ingham of the Kitchener Rangers in 2020, Nicholas Canade of the Mississauga Steelheads in 2019 and back-to-back winner Garrett McFadden of the Guelph Storm in 2017 and 2018.

Wakely joins a handful of other repeat Humanitarian of the Year nominees from their respective clubs led by Barrie Colts defender Braden Haché, who was his club’s nominee for a third consecutive season after previously leading the Kingston Frontenacs’ community efforts in both 2019-20 and 2021-22. Reid Valade of the Kitchener Rangers, Landon Cato of the Niagara IceDogs and David Goyette of the Sudbury Wolves join Wakely as a repeat nominee for the award.

Wakely 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 3 during the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia which takes place in Kamloops, British Columbia. Barlow will be formally presented with the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy at the OHL’s Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, June 14 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

From Dennis Chippa, Executive Director at The Gathering Place:
“Dalyn’s efforts this season really served to inform our community that there is a population that is often ignored. His project was amazing to give that education out to the general population. We’ve seen a number of groups that have contacted us either donating items or donating money and they’ve informed us that they had no idea we even existed, and that they heard about us at the Battalion game.

Dalyn is fantastic. He’s so good in understanding both the client base that we serve and understanding whether they’re dealing with a mental health or an addiction issue. He showed a lot of leadership this season and even spent time educating others on mental health and addiction. Dalyn is surprisingly knowledgeable for a fellow his age on these concepts. He demonstrated a complete comfort level and and a real understanding of the community that we serve.

We’d love to have Dalyn and his teammates back next season. It was certainly nice to have that confidence that you knew they’d be here to serve every Tuesday, and they’ve all done a tremendous job.”

2022-23 Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Nominees:
Barrie Colts – Braden Haché^
Erie Otters – Colby Saganiuk
Flint Firebirds – Zacharie Giroux
Guelph Storm – Braeden Bowman
Hamilton Bulldogs – Adrian Rebelo
Kingston Frontenacs – Alec Belanger
Kitchener Rangers – Reid Valade*
London Knights – Sean McGurn
Mississauga Steelheads – Kai Schwindt
Niagara IceDogs – Landon Cato*
North Bay Battalion – Dalyn Wakely*
Oshawa Generals – Ryan Gagnier
Ottawa 67’s – Collin MacKenzie
Owen Sound Attack – Ethan Burroughs
Peterborough Petes – Michael Simpson
Saginaw Spirit – Tristan Lennox
Sarnia Sting – Ben Gaudreau
Soo Greyhounds – Mark Duarte
Sudbury Wolves – David Goyette*
Windsor Spitfires – Matthew Maggio

* – 2021-22 nominee
^ – 2019-20 and 2021-22 nominee