NCDC Die-Hards is a series of articles profiling signed and returning NCDC veterans preparing for the 2024-25 season.
By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
It was the rookie junior hockey season that just could not have gone better for the 2005-born South Shore Kings defenseman Jason Zaccari. Along with proving himself as a top blueliner and college hockey prospect league-wide, Zaccari and his Kings teammates also came away with the ultimate prize – the Dineen Cup Championship.
“I think for me it was really the perfect season! Being able to win the Dineen Cup with that group was incredibly special and battling with those guys every game was something I won’t forget,” said Zaccari, a native of Santa Ana, Calif. “It takes a lot to win a championship and to fight through moments of adversity together during the season really allowed us to come together in the finals down 1-0 in the series and win the finals.”
Although new to the Kings in 2023-24 – and returning in 2024-25 – Zaccari was no stranger to New England hockey before joining the South Shore organization. A Tabor Academy student in Marion, Mass., he put together a strong three-year prep hockey career that included the Tabor captaincy in 2022-23. Zaccari was joined on the Kings roster by fellow Tabor players Jack DesRuisseaux – a Sacred Heart commit also returning to the Kings for 2024-25 – as well as Xavier Vaillancourt and Alec O’Connor (who finished the season with the Northern Cyclones). That helped kick off a quick sense of community and camaraderie for Zaccari in his rookie junior season last year, and the same sense of a team and community pushed him to re-sign this year.
“My decision to re-sign with the Kings was a very easy decision. From the coaching staff to the billets and the gym, we have everything needed to succeed. After the success we had last season I knew I wanted to come back and defend our championship,” said Zaccari. “We worked so hard last year to accomplish our goal and that was the Dineen Cup, and now it’s even harder to defend and bring it back again. We will have our work cut out for us with us being the hunted team, but we will be ready for the challenge and we are very excited for this opportunity.
“My time with South Shore has been a great experience. Coach Holske has really helped my development in big ways for showing me key details of my game that I could always work on,” said Zaccari. “It’s the small things he recognizes to fix and help work on. South Shore is a great program and being able to get to the finals last year and win it was the cherry on top so hopefully we can repeat and do it again.”
Throughout the season, Zaccari was on the top Kings defensive pairing. He averaged 21:26 of ice time per game, his +29 led the Kings defense and his 597 takeaways on the year was second. It was a fantastic performance from start to finish, as he also added five goals and 30 assists for 35 points in 49 regular season games, followed by a 3-3-6 line in 12 playoff matches.
“The parts I want to take to the next level would be my hockey IQ and my skating ability. I believe my hockey IQ allows me to make a lot of plays most guys don’t. It allows me to have a really good first pass out of my own zone and it gives me the chance to show my skating ability to join the rush, lead a rush and try to create offense,” Zaccari said. “These two skills would be key for me this season and going forward for the rest of my career.”
He also expects that these parts of his game will take a big jump by playing once again in the National Collegiate Development Conference.
“I think the opportunity of playing in the NCDC is really big. There are a ton of good players you are playing against in every game. The idea of being in the New England Division really helps because anyone can beat anyone on any given night,” said Zaccari. “It’s tight hockey and every little play matters. When you get to playoff time it becomes even closer. The margins for error are impossible because the opponents will capitalize.”
The grind the Kings faced all year was a great help in the team being able to come back from being on the brink of second place after a tough 7-3 Game 1 loss to Ogden.
“The finals was an unbelievable experience, with our rink filled with fans from both sides and you could just feel the intensity from the first puck drop. Going down 1-0, I think was the best thing for us. It allowed our group to readjust and play our game in Games 2 and 3. After every period of those last two games, we realized we just had to stay patient and take our chances when we got them,” said Zaccari. “So when Game 3 came down to overtime, we knew to just be patient because we were in that spot before in the playoffs. To get it done in overtime was the perfect way to do it.”
The next step – after the title defense campaign kicks off, of course – is to zero in on his NCAA hockey future, whether that begins in 2025-26 or a subsequent season.
“I have had a couple conversations with some schools. The main thing I am looking for in a school is that they want me for me – they see my skills and allow me to showcase that just like I can with South Shore,” he added. “I look forward to having that opportunity and making the most of it.”
The NCDC wishes Jason Zaccari and the South Shore Kings the very best of luck in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
