On Wednesday, the top ten candidates for the Hobey Baker Award, given to collegiate hockey’s best player, were named.
Michigan had a good showing, claiming three of the ten spots with their top offensive line. That comes on the heels of Kyle Connor winning Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year and Michigan being the first team to ever put four players on the All-Big Ten First Team.
Here are the top ten Hobey Baker finalists for the 2015-16 season.
Congrats to the C-C-M Line! Hobey Baker Award Top 10 Finalists #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/j1CQuzDEtr
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 16, 2016
The field will be narrowed to three on March 31, in advance of the 2016 Hobey Baker winner being announced during the Frozen Four, which will take place in Tampa this year.
As far as frontrunners, Connor led the nation in both goals (30) and points (61), while Compher had the lead in assists with 39. In net, Thatcher Demko has had a few good years, but was electric this season, posting 10 shutouts for Boston College, as well as a .938 save percentage.
Vesey is a senior and was a part of the Hobey Hat Trick last year, with 23 goals and 44 points in 30 games, he could work his way into the conversation.
After a run of guys winning the Hobey Baker who struggled to make an impact in the NHL, ending with St. Cloud State captain Drew LeBlanc, the last couple winners have been immediate impact guys in the pro ranks. Jack Eichel won the honor last year and Johnny Gaudreau got it the year before.