The 2024-25 NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey regular season will have concluded in three days. All seven conference tournament championships will have been decided by March 22nd, before the Frozen Four tournament begins on March 27th.
Outside of the team accomplishments that will be had by the end of the weekend, the league’s most-coveted individual award has been narrowed down to the last 10 finalists (Twitter Link). The Hobey Baker Award is enshrined in college hockey lore, as it’s annually given to the top player in the NCAA.
The award has never had back-to-back winners and that trend will continue this season. Macklin Celebrini won the award last year after scoring 32 goals and 64 points in 38 games with the Boston University Terriers, leading to his name being called with the first overall selection of the 2024 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.
Not every Hobey Baker winner is a household name, but many still consider the list exclusive. Paul Kariya is the only Hobey Baker Award winner inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. However, that list could expand if players like Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, and Celebrini continue their current trajectories.
On a more depressing note, to mention the exclusive award without mentioning the late Johnny Gaudreau is difficult. Gaudreau won the award after the 2013-14 season after putting up an electric 36-goal, 80-point season in 40 games with the Boston College Eagles. It’ll be the first time the award has been bestowed since Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were tragically taken from the world on August 29, 2024.
Here is a list of this year’s top 10 finalists with the NHL team that owns their contractual rights if applicable:
D Zeev Buium, University of Denver (Minnesota Wild)
F Jack Devine, University of Denver (Florida Panthers)
F Aiden Fink, Penn State University (Nashville Predators)
F Mac Gadowsky, Army West Point (undrafted)
F Isaac Howard, Michigan State University (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Ryan Leonard, Boston College (Washington Capitals)
F Ayrton Martino, Clarkson University (Dallas Stars)
F Liam McLinskey, College of the Holy Cross (undrafted)
F Jimmy Snuggerud, University of Minnesota (St. Louis Blues)
G Alex Tracy, Minnesota State University (undrafted)
Buium or Leonard most likely.
I don’t typically watch too much NCHC hockey throughout the year so I can’t comment too much on Buium, but I watched plenty in the Hockey East and Big Ten conferences. I think Leonard is a safe pick but I wouldn’t be surprised if Isaac Howard from MSU won it.
Buium plays close to 30mins a night in every situation. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t on the Wild’s opening night roster next season, or even in this years playoffs if somehow the Wild won a round. But lots of good players up for the reward this year.
Don’t be surprised if KO Sports tells Minny that their client wants to sign somewhere else. Just like Gauthier and McGroarty
From everything I’ve been hearing Isaac Howard is the front runner for the Hobey Baker Award. Just looking at his stats, he’s killing it in the NCHC & apparently has been throughout the season. If he wins, he would be Tampa’s first prospect to claim the Hobey Baker Award in the organization’s history which is a bit surprising actually.
For what it’s worth, Isaac Howard plays in the Big Ten Conference with Michigan State University. But yes, he’s still had an impressive season and was a driving force behind MSU’s flirtation with being the top team in the nation this season.
I’m not all that acquainted to the structure of NCAA hockey but is the Big Ten Conference a lesser conference or something? There has to be something about it since you brought it up I assume.
Going out on a limb but I believe that the B10 was brought up because that is the conference in which Isaac Howard plays, not the NCHC as you stated. He did start in the NCHC/Duluth but left a couple of seasons back.
Okay that would make sense. Seems like a valid answer.
Jack Devine is taking it home.
Sniggered takes this
link to tenor.com
Who is this Sniggered? Are you new to hockey?
Give it to the Goalie Tracy hell of a year as the last stand in any teams defense. Great numbers
Question: Is it unusual that 3 of the 10 finalists for this award are undrafted as the top players in college hockey? Thanks in advance for the answer and insight.
Don’t know if it’s unusual to have 3 undrafted players as finalists but one should suspect that those 3 undrafted players are going to get brought in or picked up by NHL teams this summer.
Not at all. Undrafted players who stay in NCAA hockey until they’re 23, 24, or even 25 and didn’t show enough in their early development stages to warrant a draft selection will have a good chance of outpacing NHL-drafted players who are earlier on in their development. They often don’t make NHL impacts. The age range for NCAA play is much broader than that of CHL/USHL (plus a more considerable talent discrepancy between teams/conferences), so there are far more variables to consider when looking at collegiate boxcar stats.