Top Ten Hobey Baker Award Finalists Named

The ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award were announced on Thursday evening. Each conference has at least one representative as a finalist, with the WCHA leading the way with four finalists. St. Lawrence and North Dakota each had a pair of teammates earn honors.

Here's a look at the ten players that will eventually be culled down to three for the Hobey Hat Trick.

Greg Carey, Forward, St. Lawrence

Carey led the nation in goals this year with 28 goals, 14 of them coming on the power play, also best in the nation. He was second nationally in scoring, just one point behind Nebraska-Omaha's Ryan Walters.

Carsen Chubak, Goalie, Niagara

Chubak was nearly unbeatable in backstopping the Purple Eagles to an Atlantic Hockey title and the cusp of an NCAA tournament at-large bid. His number are sparkling at 1.81 GAA and .941 save percentage. Perhaps more importantly, Niagara was a very different, less successful team when Chubak was not in net.

Austin Czarnik, Forward, Miami

Czarnik was the CCHA's token inclusion. His statistics are rather modest, tied for 28th nationally in scoring, but he was the main offensive catalyst for a Miami team that was consistently ranked among the best in the country all year.

Kyle Flanagan, Forward, St. Lawrence

Flanagan was Greg Carey's partner in crime most of the year, setting up many of those Carey goals. He was tied for 9th nationally in scoring, though he missed a few games late in the year because of emergency appendix surgery. He was one of the most dynamic playmakers in college hockey this year.

Johnny Gaudreau, Forward, Boston College

Gaudreau backed up an incredible rookie campaign with another 20 goals and 29 assists this season. He finished six points clear of the next highest scorer in Hockey East, which was teammate Steven Whitney.

Eric Hartzell, Goalie, Quinnipiac

While many in the west will debate if Quinnipiac is the best team in the country, there's certainly no denying they had the most successful season, using an epic unbeaten streak to cruise to the ECAC regular season title, and clinch the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament incredibly early in the season. Hartzell was a huge part of that success, putting up eye-popping 1.50 GAA and .935 SV% stats.

Corban Knight, Forward, North Dakota

Knight trails behind the national scoring leaders by a few points, but is arguably a better all-around player. He's excellent in the face-off circle and is a very complete hockey player.

Danny Kristo, Forward, North Dakota

Kristo is seen as the favorite for the award by many, though there are also questions of whether indiscretions earlier in the year could hurt him in the character section of voting. On the ice, Kristo has definitely been one of the best, putting up an excellent 50 points in his final year of college hockey.

Drew LeBlanc, Forward, St. Cloud State

LeBlanc is a feel-good story, coming back to school for a fifth year after breaking his leg early last season. LeBlanc is one of the best passers in the country, and his experience and playmaking helped lead his school to their first ever WCHA regular season title this year.

Ryan Walters, Forward, Nebraska-Omaha

Walters is the nation's leading scorer, which is sure to draw him a lot of attention in a field with plenty of big scorers. A disappointing end to Nebraska-Omaha's season may hurt his chances though, in a field of players all expected to play in the NCAA tournament.