2017 Hobey Baker Finalists Named

The ten candidates for this year’s Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s top individual honor, were named today.

Here they are, listed alphabetically:

Zach Aston-Reese, Forward, Northeastern

Michael Bitzer, Goalie, Bemidji State

Anders Bjork, Forward, Notre Dame

Will Butcher, Defenseman, Denver

Spencer Foo, Forward, Union

Tyler Kelleher, Forward, New Hampshire

Alexander Kerfoot, Forward, Harvard

Tyler Sheehy, Forward, Minnesota

Mike Vecchione, Forward, Union

Charles Williams, Goalie, Canisius

This year’s class seems more wide open than years past, with nobody really emerging as a clear-cut choice. Aston-Reese and Kelleher currently sit atop the national scoring race, though Vecchione leads in points-per-game, and is likely to pass both with games still to play. More importantly, Vecchione has the most compelling narrative of passing on pro deals to return to school for his senior season, which likely makes him the favorite to win the award.