Flint increases its net worth
Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League have added a pair of proven puck stoppers to their pool of goalies. The recent additions to the Flint net are OHL veteran Mason Vaccari and 2025 National Hockey League draft pick Evgeny Prokhorov.
An overage (2005 birth date) net-minder, Vaccari was recently obtained by Flint from the Kingston Frontenacs in exchange for future fifth, sixth and 14th round draft picks. The under-rated Vaccari joins the program in Flint after having spent the past three OHL seasons in Kingston where he posted an overall winning record of 49-45-7 with a 3.45 goals against average and .887 save percentage.
Subsequent to the acquisition of Vaccari, Flint used one of its two first round picks from the recent Canadian Hockey League import draft — 23rd overall — on Prokhorov, who has a late 2006 birth date. Prokhorov hails from Lida, Belarus and was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL draft.
Also in the picture is 2006 birth year backstop Noah Bender. Bender has played two seasons in the OHL in a reserve role. He had decent numbers for the Oshawa Generals in ’23-24 — a 5-3-1 record with a 3.26 goals against average and .894 save percentage. But Bender struggled in ’24-25, giving up six goals in his only start with Oshawa before being traded to Flint where he continued to falter with a 3-8-0 record, 5.09 goals against average and .836 save percentage.
Then there is the projected goalie of the future in Flint in young Mason Courville. At 6 foot, 165 pounds with a late 2009 birth date, Courville was Flint’s third round pick at the 2025 OHL priority selections draft from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights AAA program that is based out of Pennsylvania.
There is also the possibility that Nathan Day could return to Flint as an overage in ’25-26, depending on what the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers decide. Day is a signed draft pick of the Oilers and while it makes sense that Edmonton would want to place the towering goalie somewhere in its minor league farm system, he still could end up back in Flint as an overage — or be traded to another OHL team for a cargo of draft picks. Day is Flint’s all time franchise leader in wins by a goalie with 74.