The Hobey Baker Award committee began the process of selecting their 2025 award winner on Wednesday, with the unveiling of their “long list” of award nominees. 97 collegiate players were announced as nominees, including University of Massachusetts sophomore – and Calgary Flames prospect – Aydar Suniev.
From the 97 initial nominees, the contenders will be cut down a few times. First, a combination of fan balloting and consultation with college coaches cuts that list down to 10 finalists. From there, the list is further culled to three – the “Hobey Hat Trick” – before a final winner is announced at the NCAA’s big awards ceremony during the Frozen Four.
Via the award committee’s official site, here are the guidelines for the award:
“Candidates must also comply with all NCAA rules, be full-time students in an accredited NCAA college or university, and complete 50% or more of the season. The Hobey Baker Award was named for hockey legend and World War I veteran Hobey Baker. Universally recognized as the best amateur player in the United States, Baker was the ultimate gentleman sportsman, always playing the game with courage, honor, and humility.”
Macklin Celebrini won the Hobey Baker last year, with current Calgary Flames forward Sam Morton as one of the 10 finalists. Past Flames that captured the Hobey Baker include Brendan Morrison (1997), Chris Drury (1998), Jordan Leopold (2002) and the late, great Johnny Gaudreau (2014).
A third-round selection by the Flames in 2023 – selected with the pick the Flames acquired from New Jersey as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade – Suniev is in his second season with the UMass Minutemen after an impressive season and change with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. He had a solid freshman season with 12 goals and 25 points over 36 games. But he’s really found another gear as a sophomore, with 14 goals and 27 points through 23 games – it’s safe to say that he’s going to significantly increase his scoring from his freshman season.
Suniev is among the top offensive players in the NCAA. He’s tied for sixth nationally in goal-scoring and tied for 13th in points. Just three sophomores have more points than Suniev: Quinn Finley (Minnesota), Aiden Fink (Penn State) and Gabe Perreault (Boston College). Only five players, period, have more goals than him: Isaac Howard (Michigan State), Finley, Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota), Harrison Scott (Maine) and Ryan Leonard (Boston College).
Leonard is generally seen as the favourite for this year’s Hobey Baker, but Suniev is having a superb season and should be a strong contender for the award. We’ll see who grabs the award – whether it’s Leonard or someone else – in April.
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