Max Plante, a sophomore forward from Minnesota Duluth wins 2023 NCAA Hobey Baker Award as top men's college hockey player, history
Max Plante, a sophomore forward from Minnesota Duluth, has been named the winner of the 2026 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in men’s NCAA Division I college hockey.Plante beat out fellow finalists T.J. Hughes, a senior forward from Michigan, and Eric Pohlkamp, a junior defenseman from Denver.
In his second season with the Bulldogs, Plante recorded 25 goals and 52 points in 40 games. The Detroit Red Wings’ 2024 second-round draft pick finished third in the nation in scoring, behind only Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenbach (59 points) and Michigan’s T.J. Hughes (57 points).
What is Hobey Baker Award, History.?
- The creation of the Hobey Baker Award was spearheaded by Charles R. Bard, who was the CEO of the Decathlon Athletic Club of Bloomington, Minnesota, and was officially founded in 1981, years after Hobey's death.
- The award was inspired by college's basketball's Wooden Award (which was in turn modeled after the college football's Heisman Award).
- Four hockey players were considered as namesake's of the award. Bard considered Frankie Brimsek, Moose-Goheen and John Mariucci, but it was Hobart Amory Baker who intrigued Bard the most.
- The first Hobey Baker Award was presented to Minnesota’s Neal Broten on March 20, 1981
- In 1991, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation was established as the non-profit corporation tasked with presenting the award, and still operates the process today.
You can read all about the history of the Hobey Baker Award on the official site, Bio, here.
List of Hobey Baker Award, Past Winners from 1981-2023.
1981 — Neal Broten - Minnesota
1982 — George McPhee - Bowling Green
1983 — Mark Fusco - Harvard
1984 — Tom Kurvers - Minnesota-Duluth
1985 — Bill Watson - Minnesota-Duluth
1986 — Scott Fusco - Harvard
1987 — Tony Hrkac - North Dakota
1988 — Robb Stauber - Minnesota
1989 — Lane MacDonald - Harvard
1990 — Kip Miller - Michigan State
1991 — David Emma - Boston College
1992 — Scott Pellerin - Maine
1993 — Paul Kariya - Maine
1994 — Chris Marinucci - Minnesota-Duluth
1995 — Brian Holzinger - Bowling Green
1996 — Brian Bonin - Minnesota
1997 — Brendan Morrison - Michigan
1998 — Chris Drury - Boston University
1999 — Jason Krog - New Hampshire
2000 — Mike Mottau - Boston College
2001 — Ryan Miller - Michigan State
2002 — Jordan Leopold - Minnesota
2003 — Peter Sejna - Colorado College
2004 — Junior Lessard - Minnesota-Duluth
2005 — Marty Sertich - Colorado College
2006 — Matt Carle - Denver
2007 — Ryan Duncan - North Dakota
2008 — Kevin Porter - Michigan
2009 — Matt Gilroy* - Boston U.
2010 — Blake Geoffrion - Wisconsin
2011 — Andy Miele - Miami
2012 — Jack Connolly - Minnesota-Duluth
2013 — Drew LeBlanc - St. Cloud State
2014 — Johnny Gaudreau - Boston College
2015 — Jack Eichel - Boston U.
2016 — Jimmy Vesey - Harvard
2017 — Will Butcher* - Denver
2018 — Adam Gaudette - Northeastern
2019 — Cale Makar - UMass
2020 — Scott Perunovich - Minnesota Duluth
2021 — Cole Caufield - Wisconsin
2022 — Dryden McKay - Minnesota State
2023 — Adam Fantilli - Michigan
2024 — Macklin Celebrini - Boston University
2025 — Isaac Howard - Michigan State
2026 — Max Plante - Minnesota Duluth
2025: F Isaac Howard, Michigan State
2024: F Macklin Celebrini, Boston University
What colleges have won the most NCAA Men's Hobey Baker winners?
Minnesota-Duluth has the most Hobey Baker winners with six. The most recent Bulldog to win the award was defenseman Scott Perunovich in 2020, who is now with the Blues.
Harvard and Minnesota are tied for second with four each. Jimmy Vesey is the last member of the Crimson to win, earning the honor in 2016. Jordan Leopold was the most recent Golden Gopher to take home the honors, doing so in 2002.
Here is a breakdown of Hobey Baker Award winners by school:
Minnesota Duluth 6
Harvard 4
Minnesota 4
Boston College 3
Boston University 3
Bowling Green, Maine, Denver, Michigan, Michigan St., North Dakota, Colorado College, Wisconsin 2
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