Max Plante wins Hobey Baker Award as top player in men's college hockey

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Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images Share full article1LAS VEGAS — Max Plante finished tied for third in the country in scoring with 52 points in 40 games. He led a resurgent University of Minnesota Duluth team to a 23-15-1 record a year after the Bulldogs finished 13-20-3, leading them back to the national tournament for the first time in four seasons — and a goal away from the Frozen Four. He did it as a sophomore who played nearly 22 minutes per game in all situations and led his team not just in goals (25) and points, but also in shots (152), game-winning goals (six), short-handed goals (two) and plus-minus (+19). And on Friday night, in a ceremony at the Presidio Ballroom inside Las Vegas’ Park MGM casino and hotel, he was named the 2026 winner of the Hobey Baker Award, handed out each year to the top player in Division I NCAA men’s hockey. To win it, he bested Michigan captain and the country’s second-leading scorer, T.J. Hughes, and San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp, bound for the national championship after an 18-goal campaign from the Pioneers’ blue line. Plante, 20, was the youngest of the three nominees but has quickly earned the respect of those across college hockey over the last two seasons. He becomes the seventh Bulldog to win the award, the most from any program. One rival NCAA coach brought up Plante’s play unprompted in a phone call with The Athletic earlier this week. “Max is a stud. Jeeze. He was awesome this year when we played them,” the coach said. As his time at the national program came to an end and he was selected in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, Nick Fohr, his head coach with USA Hockey, predicted what would follow, lauding his smarts, his positivity, his invaluable contributions to a winning culture and labelling him as “underrated.” “You guys will get there eventually,” he told The Athletic at the time. “All of the experts will figure it out. Max is awesome.” It sounds like he’s not done with college hockey yet, either. Though he could have turned pro with the Red Wings following this season, Plante will return to Minnesota Duluth for one final season to play with both of his brothers (Penguins prospect, Zam, who he has played with for the last two years and played with before that at Hermantown High, and incoming freshman, Victor, a 2026 NHL Draft prospect) for the first time. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Scott Wheeler covers the NHL draft and prospects nationally for The Athletic. Scott has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, the National Post, and several other outlets in the past. He's also the author of ‘On The Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the NHL Draft’. Follow Scott on Twitter @scottcwheeler