Hobey Baker Watch: Week 13
The Hobey Baker race is getting more competitive every week. With so much talent on the ice, who stands out the most this week?
Jason Polin, Forward, Western Michigan
Polin is the NCAA’s leading goal scorer this year with 21 goals in 24 games and 33 points in total. The senior should be getting the attention of NHL scouts as he is a free agent possibly in his last year of collegiate hockey.
Western Michigan has been climbing up the USCHO rankings recently, moving up two spots to No. 10. A four-game win streak and a 14-9-1 record has the Broncos in a good spot right now down the stretch.
Austen Swankler, Forward, Bowling Green
Let’s head to Bowling Green in Ohio where Austen Swankler has the second-most points in the league with 36.
The team is in the CCHA which isn’t the most competitive conference, but they have strung together six consecutive wins. Swankler has scored almost double the amount of points in that span.
Adam Fantilli, Forward, Michigan
The freshman is doing the usual with 29 points in 18 games played. His points per game are second in the entire NCAA with 1.61. He is keeping up in the points race even with fewer games played on average.
The Wolverines aren’t necessarily repeating last season’s success, but as long as Fantilli continues to produce like this, they will always be a threat.
Fantilli’s great season is keeping him in the top two draft pick range, even with players like Leo Carlsson from Sweden, hot on his tail.
Collin Graf, Forward, Quinnipiac
No. 1 Quinnipiac is an absolute force to be reckoned with. An 18-1-3 has them second in the PairWise and first in the USCHO poll. Who is the engine that keeps this team as dangerous as ever? That would be Collin Graf who has tallied 33 points in 22 games.
In the past five games, Graf’s got three goals and nine assists good for 12 points. The Bobcats haven’t lost a game in regulation since October and are currently on an eight-game winning streak.
Graf is scoring 1.50 points per game which is third behind Fantilli, and he also isn’t currently under contract by an NHL team so it’ll be interesting to see how he finishes his sophomore season into his future college years.
Anthony Desher is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.
