The attached list of 87 2025-26 Hobey Baker Award nominees is now published, and features a number of players from the Big 10 Conference tapped as candidates for college hockey’s best player. Players of note include the University of Michigan’s Michael Hage (MTL 2024, 1st round, 21st overall) and Will Horcoff (PIT 2025, 1st round, 24th overall); Michigan State’s Trey Augustine (DET 2023, 2nd round, 41st overall), Charlie Stramel (MIN 2023, 1st round, 21st overall) and Porter Martone (PHI 2025, 1st round, 6th overall); the University of Minnesota’s Brodie Ziemer (BUF 2024, 3rd round, 71st overall); the University of Wisconsin’s Quinn Finley (NYI 2022, 3rd round, 78th overall); and Penn State’s Gavin McKenna (2026 Draft-Eligible).
This year’s Hobey Baker may very well be the last shot for many of the above-mentioned players to win the award, as they are likely to join the professional ranks upon completion of their respective college seasons. This is especially true of U of M’s Hage and MSU’s Augustine. Already the third-rated Montreal prospect entering the season, Hage’s excellent year for the Wolverines (32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists through 24 games) puts him in the conversation for a Canadians’ roster spot. With respect to Augustine, the elite goaltender and top-rated Red Wings prospect may have already informed Coach Adam Nightingale that he is moving on after the season. The word is that Joshua Ravensbergen (CGY 2025, 1st round, 30th overall) is poised to commit to the Spartans for 2026-27, and rest assured the first-rounder is not interested in a spot on the bench.
In spite of these high quality candidates, they will face very stiff competition from around the country. Some notable players in the hunt are Boston College forwards James Hagens ( BOS 2025, 1st round, 7th overall) and Dean Letourneau (BOS 2024, 1st round, 25th overall), Boston University’s Cole Hutson (WSH 2024, 2nd round, 43rd overall) and the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Max Plante (DET 2024, 2nd round, 47th overall). Hagens leads the Eagles in scoring with 21 points (10G 11A) in 18 games, Letourneau and Hutson are both point-per-game players, and Plante is the first player in college hockey this season to record 40 points (20G 20A in 26 games).
The link below contains all of the candidates, and provides college hockey fans with the opportunity to vote for their favorite player.