Hobey Baker Finalists: Who are they, which NHL teams have them?

Cale Makar was the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. (David Zalubowski/AP)

On Friday evening we’ll find out who this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner is. Given to the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player, it will be announced from Buffalo, where this year’s Frozen Four is taking place. Each of the three finalists projects to be in the NHL soon — and in fact, one of them has already played a game.

Looking through the history of Hobey Baker winners, you’ll find a variety of NHL stars. From Neal Broten in 1981 to Paul Kariya in 1993, Chris Drury in 1998 and Ryan Miller in 2001 — winning the Hobey Baker isn’t a guarantee of NHL success, but it’s a great indicator of an NHL career to come.

Each of the past five winners of the Hobey Baker are in the NHL today and you could say that two of them were the MVP of their team in 2018-19. Here’s a look at the recent winners and what they did in the NHL this season:

In the history of the award, 29 forwards have won it, seven defencemen and two goaltenders. This year, all three finalists are defencemen. Here’s a look at each of them, what they did in the NCAA this season and which NHL team holds their rights.

JIMMY SCHULDT, ST. CLOUD STATE

NHL Team: Vegas Golden Knights
Season stats: 39 GP | 10G | 25 A | 35 PTS
Finishing up his four-year college career, Schuldt left as the highest-scoring defenceman in St. Cloud history. Schuldt was first eligible for the NHL Draft all the way back in 2013, following a season in which he played just six USHL games and was a near point-per-game player in 25 games with Minnetonka High School in Minnesota. He went on to score 25 and 39 points in the USHL the following two seasons, but he was never drafted into the NHL.

This NCAA season was another solid one for the 23-year-old and his 0.90 points per game ranked 11th among all NCAA defencemen. He was a three-time team captain for St. Cloud and was a top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker twice.

Schuldt went to Vegas’ development camp last June as an invitee and so when his season ended early at St. Cloud this year it didn’t take him long to sign with the Golden Knights on April 3. He even played an NHL game on the last night of the regular season, getting 21:03 of ice time and earning a primary assist on Valentin Zykov’s goal in a 5-2 loss to the Kings.

It’s interesting to note that Vegas’ No. 1 defenceman, Nate Schmidt, is one of only three players in NHL history to call the town of St. Cloud, Minnesota home and he too went through the undrafted college free agent process, signing with Washington in 2013. Good luck to NHL announcers if Schmidt and Schuldt ever become a consistent pairing.

ADAM FOX, HARVARD

NHL Team: Carolina Hurricanes
Season stats: 33 GP | 9G | 39 A | 48 PTS
Tied as the highest-scoring NCAA blueliner this season with the next finalist, Fox has been a highly regarded NHL prospect for a couple of years now. Selected in the third round of the 2016 draft by Calgary following a near point-per-game season with the US National Team Development Program, Fox’s stock has shot up much higher each year he’s been at Harvard.

First, in his freshman season, Fox registered 40 points in 35 games and finished with the highest points per game total (1.14) for an under-20 NCAA defenceman since Mike Mottau in 1997-98. In Fox’s sophomore season he posted 28 points in 29 games and this year his 48 points trailed only Penn State centre Alex Limoges and Michigan State left winger (and Red Wings signee) Taro Hirose for the most points in the NCAA regardless of position. Fox’s 1.45 points per game average, though, was the best in the nation.

Fox was part of the blockbuster Calgary-Carolina trade at last year’s NHL draft, going to the Hurricanes along with Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland. But although Hurricanes GM Don Waddell originally said he was “99.9 per cent” certain the team could get a contract done with Fox, it doesn’t appear likely he’ll sign with Carolina to join their deep collection of blueliners anymore.

If Fox returns to Harvard for his senior season he, like Schuldt, would become an unrestricted free agent who could sign with whichever NHL team he wants in 2020. Because the Canes couldn’t get him under contract after the Crimson were eliminated this season, Carolina owner Tom Dundon said the team is exploring alternative scenarios. Rumours have circled for a while that the Jericho, N.Y., native’s preferred destination is the New York Rangers.

“We’ll try to trade him,” Dundon told the Raleigh News and Observer. “I think we’ll do OK. We’ll see.”

CALE MAKAR, UMASS-AMHERST

NHL Team: Colorado Avalanche
Season stats: 39 GP | 16G | 32 A | 48 PTS
Tied with Fox as the top scoring blueliner in the NCAA (with a few more games played), Makar was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. He has a late birthday (October) so was selected into the NHL one year after Fox (a February birthday) despite being just eight months younger.

Makar may very well be the best player not currently in the NHL and the favourite to win the Hobey Baker. On the international stage, Makar starred for Canada at the 2017 WJC, at which he led all defencemen with three goals and eight points in seven games en route to the gold medal. After that, he was even asked to join Canada at the Olympics, but turned down the invitation to return to his NCAA team.

Just before the end of the NHL’s regular season, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was asked about the prospects of adding Makar, and he said there was “every indication” the youngster could help the Avs come playoff time. Makar’s UMass-Amherst team is still going though, and will play against Denver in the Frozen Four semifinal Thursday night. If they beat the Pioneers, Makar’s team would play in the final on Saturday night.

If they go the distance, Makar could potentially be available to the Avs as soon as Game 3 on Monday night. Interestingly, Makar is a Calgary native and could play his first NHL games against his hometown team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Should that series last until Game 5, he may even play a game in Calgary. Charlie McAvoy is the last defenceman to go right from the NCAA into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining the Bruins from Providence in 2017 recording three assists in six games.

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