The first round of voting has come to an end, and the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been named. 83 players were nominated for the award this year, and a fan vote was added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to determine the final ten names.
The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country, and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2013-14, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015-16. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher and 2017-18 winner Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact, but look like they’ll each have long NHL careers.
The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.
The finalists are as follows:
Joseph Duszak – Mercyhurst University (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Adam Fox – Harvard University (unsigned, Carolina Hurricanes)
Taro Hirose – Michigan State University (Detroit Red Wings)
Quinn Hughes – University of Michigan (Vancouver Canucks)
Mason Jobst – Ohio State University
Cale Makar – University of Massachusetts-Amherst (unsigned, Colorado Avalanche)
Patrick Newell – St. Cloud State University
Chase Priskie – Quinnipiac University (unsigned, Washington Capitals)
Jimmy Schuldt – St. Cloud State University
Nico Sturm – Clarkson University
They overlooked some solid talent at MN State University.
So Corey Mackin Finished first in Fan Vote, yet he is not a top 10 finalist. This is why people don’t take award winner serious. They are nothing but who blows the voters the best.
Fan vote, seriously?