Included are two candidates who are natives of New York State.
St. Paul, Minn. — The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee is pleased to announce the top ten candidates for the 2021 award honoring college hockey’s top player. Alphabetically, they are: Matt Boldy, Boston College; Cole Caufield, University of Wisconsin; David Farrance, Boston University; Dylan Holloway, University of Wisconsin; Spencer Knight, Boston College; Jack LaFontaine, University of Minnesota; Dryden McKay, Minnesota State University; Keith Petruzzelli, Quinnipiac University; Shane Pinto, University of North Dakota; and Odeen Tufto, Quinnipiac University.
The ten finalists were selected by voting from all 61 Division I college hockey head coaches plus online fan balloting. Next, the 30-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting through the Hobey website hobeybaker.com March 18-28 will determine this year’s Hobey Baker winner. Criteria for the award include: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
The Hobey Hat Trick (three finalists) will be announced on April 1, 2021 and the Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced on Friday, April 9, 2021. The announcement will be televised live on the NHL Network and streamed on the Hobey Baker website at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Following, in alphabetical order, is a look at each finalist.
Matt Boldy – Boston College – Sophomore, Forward, Millis, Massachusetts
A highly skilled power forward, Boldy has helped the Eagles to a #1 national ranking heading into their Hockey East semi-final game. He was second in the conference in scoring this past season and led the nation with three short-handed goals. Boldy is finishing the season on a fabulous scoring pace, picking up five goals and seven assists in the last seven games.
· Currently has 10 goals, 16 assists for 26 points in 20 games
· Named First Team Hockey East – Minnesota draft (1st round-12th overall)
· Communications major – Racked up 157 points in two seasons with National Team
Cole Caufield – University of Wisconsin – Sophomore, Forward, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
A phenomenal offensive threat, Caufield leads the nation in goals and total points. He is the first player in Big Ten conference history to win back-to-back scoring titles. The league rewarded him this season as Player of the Year, Scoring Champion and First Team all-conference. Caufield is Badger-red hot with 14 multiple point games in his last 17 outings.
· Currently has 28 goals, 21 assists for 49 points in 30 games – Montreal draft (1st round -15th overall)
· Leads nation in power play goals (10), power play points (22), and shots on goal (152)
· Won gold medal with USA at World Junior Championship – brother Brock also plays on Badgers
David Farrance – Boston University – Senior, Defense, Victor, New York
A repeat top ten candidate from last year, Farrance has continued his strong offensive flair on defense, earning him a second straight First Team Hockey East honor. Appearing in 10 of the Terriers 15 games played, he still managed 16 total points to tie for the team lead. His average of 1.6 points per game led all defensemen in the nation and is third overall.
· Currently has 5 goals, 11 assists for 16 points in 10 games – has 2 power play goals
· Nashville draft (3rd round) – has 88 points (26-62) in 112 career games
· Psychology major – in January, had 14 points (4-10) in just six games
Dylan Holloway – University of Wisconsin – Sophomore, Forward, Bragg Creek, Alberta
Known as a fast powerful centerman, Holloway has had a terrific season. Sitting with 34 points in just 22 games, he’s tied for fourth in the nation in scoring and tied for fourth in assists. Named First Team all-conference in the Big Ten, he was honored as national player of the month for February when he collected 17 points in eight games.
· Currently has 11 goals, 23 assists for 34 points in 22 games – had 8-game point streak
· Is 3rd in the nation with 16 power play points (4-12) – Personal Finance major
· Edmonton draft (1st round, 14th overall) – won silver medal at World Juniors
Spencer Knight – Boston College – Sophomore, Goalie, Darien, Connecticut
Coaches like calm, measured goaltenders and Knight fits the bill perfectly. In 11 of his 19 starts, he has held opponents to two goals or less, earning him a fantastic 16-2-1 record. Several Hockey East awards have followed including: Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year and First Team all-conference. Knight is tied for second in the nation in save percentage.
· Current record is: 16-2-1 – goals against average of 1.99 – save percentage .937
· Florida draft (1st round, 13th overall) – only 10th American goalie drafted in 1st round
· Marketing major – win percentage of .868 is second in the nation – has 3 shutouts
Jack LaFontaine – University of Minnesota – Senior, Goalie, Mississauga, Ontario
Referred to as the epitome of consistency, LaFontaine led the Big Ten conference in all key goaltending categories and was named Goalie of the Year and First Team all-conference. He’s allowed two or less in 21 of his 27 starts this season and posted five shutouts, second best in the nation. After securing the Big Ten playoff title, he’s third in the nation in goals against average, fourth in save percentage and first in wins.
· Current record is: 21-6-0 – goals against average 1.74 – save percentage .936
· Played first two seasons at Michigan – redshirt for 2018-19 season
· Assistant captain – English major – Carolina draft (3rd round)
Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University – Junior, Goalie, Downers Grove, Illinois
Call him Mr. Zero. McKay has posted a national best 9 shutouts in 22 starts this season, and has earned 23 shutouts in his three-year career, second all-time in the NCAA. The WCHA rewarded him as Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year and First Team all-conference. A repeat Hobey finalist, he is a two-time Goalie of the Year in the WCHA and a three-time goalie champion statistically.
· Current record is: 19-2-0 – goals against average 1.25 – save percentage .937
· In 90 career starts, has 1.46 career goals against average and .935 save percentage
· Finance major – First Team All-American last season – two-time Richter Award finalist
Keith Petruzzelli – Quinnipiac University – Senior, Goalie, Wilbraham, Massachusetts
At 6’5, Petruzzelli fills the net but his sound positioning makes him one of the nation’s best goalies. He’s fourth in the nation in goals against average and tied for first in games played, having started all 27 of the Bobcats games. The ECAC named him Goalie of the Year, First Team all-conference and a finalist for Player of the Year.
· Current record is: 17-6-4 – goals against average 1.78 – save percentage .929
· Has started every game the past two years, 61 straight starts – has 4 shutouts
· Civil Engineering major – Detroit draft (3rd round) – Richter Award finalist
Shane Pinto – University of North Dakota – Sophomore, Forward, Franklin Square, NY
A responsible, competitive scorer, Pinto led the NCHC conference in regular season scoring, securing numerous league awards: Player of the Year, Forward of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year and First Team all-conference. Winning almost 62% of his faceoffs, he’s proved to be one of the best in the nation on the draw. North Dakota won regular season and playoff titles.
· Currently has 15 goals, 15 assists for 30 points in 26 games – had 7 power play goals
· Ottawa draft (2nd round) – Kinesiology major – was NCHC Rookie of Year last year
· Led Team USA in scoring last year at 2020 World Junior Championship
Odeen Tufto – Quinnipiac University – Senior, Forward, Chaska, Minnesota
Possessing an amazing skill set, Tufto has been a wizard on faceoffs winning a national best 63% of his draws. Not only that, the playmaker extraordinaire has had four straight 30-point seasons and presently leads the nation in assists and is second in the nation in scoring. The ECAC named him Player of the Year and First Team all-conference.
· Currently has 6 goals, 38 assists for 44 points in 27 games – has 2-13 in last 6 games
· Has had 14 multiple point games – Finance major
· Is tied for first in nation with 22 power play points and his 20 power play assists is first
Hobey Notes
· Nominees by conference: Big Ten 3, Hockey East 3, ECAC 2, NCHC 1, WCHA 1
· By class: Senior 4, Junior 1, Sophomore 5
· By position: Forward 5, Defense 1, Goalie 4
· By nationality: U.S. – 8 (two candidates: Massachusetts and New York, one each: Minnesota, Illinois, Connecticut, Wisconsin) Canada – 2 (Alberta, Ontario)
· Repeat finalists from 2020 include David Farrance and Dryden McKay
· Boston University, Minnesota State and North Dakota have finalists for the second straight season
· Eight of the ten finalists are NHL draft picks with four in the first round
· Hobey Baker Award Banquet will be held in August in Lake Elmo, Minn.
· Visit hobeybaker.com or on Facebook at: facebook.com/TheHobey
· The Hobey Baker website also has the top ten video and in-depth bios
The Hobey Baker Top Ten video is available in a High Definition format at www.hobeybaker.com/media Total running time is 6:25.
The 2021 Hobey Baker Award winner will be honored along with this year’s Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey, Mike Sertich, at the annual banquet and golf outing to be held in August in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. For more information on both visit the Hobey website at: www.hobeybaker.com.
Upcoming Hobey Baker Media releases are as follows:
· Hat Trick of three Finalists – Thu., April 1 at 11 a.m. CT
· Winner – Fri., April 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET – Live TV on NHL Network; streamed at www.hobeybaker.com
