Ten finalists for Hobey Baker Award announced

By @MichaelCaples –

The ten finalists for the 2016 Hobey Baker Award have been announced, and four of the 10 players on the list skate out of Michigan.

Michigan’s ‘CCM Line’ of JT Compher, Kyle Connor and Tyler Motte all made the Top 10, as did Alex Petan of Michigan Tech.

NTDP alum Thatcher Demko of Boston College is also one of the finalists.

The Hobey Baker Award announcement did not include vote totals or anything else to indicate who is favored to win the trophy, which is presented annually to the top player in college hockey.

Connor, a Shelby Township native, should be considered one of the frontrunners, as the University of Michigan freshman forward leads the NCAA in scoring with 61 points in 34 games.

Connor’s linemates are not far behind, of course. Motte, a St. Clair native, has 50 points in the same amount of games, and he is second in the nation with 30 goals.

Compher, a Northbrook, Ill., native, is second in NCAA scoring behind Connor with 52 points.

Petan, meanwhile, was named the WCHA player of the year after racking up 33 points in 35 games for the Huskies. A native of Delta, B.C., Petan is the leader of a MTU squad who won a WCHA regular-season title two weeks ago.