Top candidates for 2025 Hobey Baker Award as best player in NCAA  

The race for the Hobey Baker Award, given each year since 1981 to the top player in NCAA Division I men’s hockey, is heating up as the regular season enters the home stretch.

Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini, now starring for the San Jose Sharks, took home the prize last season.

The other two Hobey Hat Trick finalists a year ago are also making an impact in the NHL this season: Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier, now playing for the Anaheim Ducks, and the University of North Dakota’s Jackson Blake, who is with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The top ten nominees will be unveiled March 19. The three Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be revealed April 3.

The 2025 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced during the Frozen Four on April 11, the day before the national championship game at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.

While there is not a clear favorite at this point, there is no shortage of candidates.

Here are 10 worthy contenders.

Albin Boija, University of Maine

Thanks to the outstanding play of the undrafted sophomore goalie from Sweden, Maine is second in the Hockey East standings and fourth in PairWise, an independent method for determining NCAA rankings.

His 1.61 goals-against average is second in the country. He has a 17-5-4 record with a .931 save percentage and four shutouts.

He stopped 28 shots in a thrilling 1-0 overtime win at Providence College on Feb. 8.

Zeev Buium, University of Denver

A key part of Denver’s national championship as a freshman last season, Buium leads NCAA defensemen with 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 26 games.

He won a gold medal with the United States team at the World Junior Championships in January.

Buium was chosen in the first round (No. 12) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Jack Devine, University of Denver

For the second season in a row, Devine is one of the top scorers in the country.

A Hobey Baker Award finalist last season, the senior winger is fifth in the NCAA with 39 points (six goals, 33 assists) in 28 games. He recorded three assists against Arizona State on Feb. 8.

The Florida Panthers drafted him in the seventh round (No. 221) in 2022.

Aiden Fink, Penn State University

The sophomore forward is riding a hot streak with 13 goals in 12 games since Jan. 1.

He is tied for second in the country with 41 points (21 goals, 20 assists) in 28 games.

Fink was picked in the seventh round (No. 218) by the Nashville Predators in 2023.

Jacob Fowler, Boston College

The sophomore goalie is 19-4-1 with a 1.72 GAA, .936 save percentage and six shutouts.

He was picked in the third round (No. 69) by the Montreal Canadiens in 2023.

Isaac Howard, Michigan State University

After scoring 14 goals in his first two NCAA seasons, Howard has exploded this season.

The junior forward had a goal and an assist in a win against the University of Michigan on Feb. 8 and now leads the country in points and is second in goals. Howard has 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games.

Howard was selected in the first round (No. 31) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.

Ryan Leonard, Boston College

The sophomore winger, who plays with an edge, was MVP at the IIHF World Junior Championships last month with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in seven games.

He’s been an impact player in the past two WJC tournaments as the United States has taken home consecutive gold medals.

At Boston College, Leonard leads the NCAA with 23 goals, including eight game-winners. He has 35 points (23 goals, 12 assists) in 27 games.

Selected by the Washington Capitals in the first round (No. 8) in 2023, Leonord is expected to sign with the Capitals after the college season.

Cole O’Hara, University of Massachusetts

The junior winger has come out of nowhere to stake a claim as one of the top scorers in the country.

After putting up a total of 35 points in his first two seasons, he has 39 points (15 goals, 24 points) in 28 games, including 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in the past six. He is tied with Devine for the fourth-most points in the country.

O’Hara was chosen in the fourth round (No. 114) by the Nashville Predators in 2022.

Sam Rinzel, University of Minnesota

With size (6-foot-4) and a hard shot, Rinzel is one of the top offensive defensemen in college hockey.

He has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 30 games this season.

Rinzel was selected in the first round (No. 25) by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.

Jimmy Snuggerud, University of Minnesota

The junior forward has scored at least 20 goals in each of his three college seasons.

This season, he is tied with Fink for the second-most points in the NCAA with 41 (20 goals, 21 assists) in 30 games.

The son of former NHL forward Dave Snuggerud, he was chosen in the first round (No. 23) by the St. Louis Blues in 2022.