Hobey Baker Watch: Week 4
As we head into Week 4 of the college hockey season, the Hobey Baker Award race is looking as tight as ever, due to the tremendous amount of talent spread throughout the country. The Hobey Baker Award is given each year to college hockey’s most outstanding player.
Cole Caufield, RW, Wisconsin
It looks as if there is no stopping this kid. The 15th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft looks like he might exceed his already sky-high expectations.
In his first six games of the season, Caufield has scored seven goals and added two assists. Last week featured the Badgers splitting a two-game series with Clarkson, but Caufield scored and had an assist in the team’s 4-3 win on Saturday night.
Caufield is currently on pace to score 40 goals this year, which would just be absurd. It will be interesting to see if he can stay on pace this week as the Badgers travel to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Halloween night and Nov. 1, which could be a nightmare for the Nittany Lions. Caufield is doing all this while standing at just 5-foot-7. Outstanding.
Jack Dugan, F, Providence
Dugan has been the driving force in the dominant Friars offense so far this season. The 2017 fifth round draft pick by the Vegas Golden Knights leads the nation in total points with 14, 10 of which have come from assists.
Providence has fallen slightly due to a couple of losses against Holy Cross and UMass Lowell, both games that the Friars should have won. The sophomore phenom from Rochester, New York will look to stay hot on Friday as the Friars take on Colgate in a one-game series at home.
Tyce Thompson, F, Providence
Multiple players from the Friars are on our watchlist because of how many goals they put up each game. Thompson has been more balanced than Dugan, but Dugan’s ability to provide something every night gives him a slight edge at this point in the season.
Thompson has put up five goals and six assists this year, which puts him on pace to blow past his totals last year in the next three or four weeks. It’s been known that Thompson wanted to come out of the gate hot this year after last year’s heartbreaking quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame. The fourth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils looks like he will be showing why he was drafted all year long.
Mike O’Leary, F, Notre Dame
The Irish needed a strong leader this season that can lead them back to the Frozen Four final, as they left empty-handed after losing to Minnesota-Duluth. O’Leary has been the person to step up and take charge in his senior season.
Throughout his college career, O’Leary has become better each year with the more playing time he has seen. After scoring just six goals last year, he already has four this year; along with seven assists in just four games. The Nova Scotia native will try and keep the Fighting Irish undefeated this weekend as they travel to take on the Minnesota Gophers.
Danny Murray is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at dantemurray21@gmail.com.
