The seemingly endless theme of the 2021-22 college hockey preseason has been the talent level at the University of Michigan. The Wolverines were responsible for four of the first five picks at the 2021 NHL draft and have three other first-rounders on their roster.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows the sport that Mel Pearson’s team will have a few Hobey Baker Award candidates this upcoming season. With that being said, the Hobey isn’t always about the best NHL prospect.
Minnesota State returns senior goaltender Dryden McKay, a Hobey Hat Trick finalist and winner of the Richter Award as the top goaltender in college hockey last season. A few other contenders have senior leaders who could garner Hobey attention.
In recent years, the Hobey Baker Award has been more about the top player with pro potential. The 2021 winner was Cole Caulfield, who is already having success in the lineup with the Montreal Canadiens. Other recent winners such as Jack Eichel and Cale Makar have moved on to greatness in the NHL.
However, there are other examples of great college players who could never crack the NHL such as 2012 winner Jack Connolly (Minnesota Duluth) or 2013 honoree Drew Leblanc (St. Cloud).
Will this year’s winner be a coveted NHL prospect or just another player with an illustrious college career? There are both types of candidates in the mix as the 2021-22 season is upon us. With opening night on Friday, it’s a good time to take a look at the preseason favorites to win the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
Owen Power
Michigan, So., D, 6-6/214
NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs (2021, 1st rd., #1 overall)
It’s not everyday that the top pick in the NHL draft returns for a sophomore season of college hockey. Power’s return is great for the sport, as he’ll attract even more attention every weekend. Power has it all, in terms of physical tools. He’s big, skates effortlessly, and can impact the puck possession game. He had three goals and 13 assists in 26 games as a freshman. With a year under his belt, he should take a big jump in terms of impact and production.
Matty Beniers
Michigan, So., C, 6-1/174
NHL: Seattle Kraken (2021, 1st rd., #2 overall)
Beniers, from Hingham, Mass., is a complete, 200-foot center who should make an even bigger impact in his second season with the Wolverines. The NTDP alum is an elite skater and thinker of the game. His skill and compete are also notable. He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 24 games as a freshman in Ann Arbor. As evidenced by Power’s inclusion in this list, one of the bigger roadblocks in Beniers winning is the amount of top talent on his team that could split the vote.
Dryden McKay
Minnesota State, Sr., G, 6-0/183
McKay is back for his senior season in Mankato. His career has already been quite remarkable. After decommitting from Holy Cross, McKay arrived at Minnesota State and immediately started putting up great numbers between the pipes. The 2021 Richter Award winner and Hobey Hat Trick Finalist has a 75-15-4 record to go along with his .932 save percentage over the first three years of college hockey. McKay doesn’t have prototypical size for the modern era goaltender, but his track record of success in college is undeniable.
Jordan Harris
Northeastern, Sr., D, 5-11/185
NHL: Montreal (2018, 3rd rd., #71 overall)
Harris is another player who somewhat surprisingly returned for his senior season of college hockey. The Haverhill, Mass., native has earned plenty of notoriety over the first three years on Huntington Avenue, including a Beanpot MVP in 2020. It will be his second season wearing a letter for the Huskies. In 91 career games, Harris has 10 goals and 43 assists. He’s a smooth-skating, poised, puck-moving defender. An underrated part of his game is his defensive ability, due to his good stick and willingness to play with some jam.
Ben Meyers
Minnesota, Jr., LW, 5-11/194
There are a few forwards on the Gophers who could have been picked in this spot. I went with Meyers as he garnered some free-agent attention among NHL scouts last season. A former Maine commit, Meyers’ career trajectory is heading upward. In 31 games as a sophomore, Meyers scored 12 goals and 16 assists. Minnesota will never get slighted in terms of media coverage. If Meyers improves his production and his team has success, as I expect, he should get some love for college hockey’s top individual award.
Bobby Trivigno
UMass, Sr., LW, 5-8/161
During his first two seasons of college hockey, Trivigno was known as a ‘rat,’ a nickname his coach affectionately gave him. The undersized winger played hard, even crossing the line at times. As a junior, he continued to play with an edge, but made more of a positive impact on the score sheet while being a leader of the Minutemen’s run to a first national championship. As a result, he earned plenty of accolades, including the Walter Brown Award, Second Team All-American, and Frozen Four MVP. In 29 games, he scored 11 goals and 23 assists. He enters his senior year just 18 points shy of the century mark. He’ll most definitely eclipse that and be a key piece to UMass’ bid to repeat as national champions.
Jake Sanderson
North Dakota, So., D, 6-2/190
NHL: Ottawa Senators (2020, 1st rd., #5 overall)
The NTDP alum will be instrumental in keeping North Dakota near the top of the college hockey perch. The Fighting Hawks lost a lot of talent off of last year’s team, but the program always reloads. Sanderson is a rangy, two-way defenseman who should contribute more offensively in his second season of college hockey. He’s great defensively and should garner plenty of attention when it comes to the Hobey.
Sean Farrell
Harvard, So., LW, 5-9/174
NHL: Montreal Canadiens (2020, 4th rd., #124 overall)
Farrell lost his first season at Harvard, due to Covid-19 canceling the season for the Ivies. The Hopkinton, Mass., native made the most of it, scoring 31 goals and 80 assists for 111 points in 53 USHL games as he helped the Chicago Steel win the Clark Cup. The NTDP and St. Mark’s product is a play-making winger whose lack of size is really the only thing scouts can knock him on. I’d expect him to put up big-time numbers for a Harvard team that will be better than most prognosticators think.
Colin Bilek
Army, Sr., RW, 5-11/194
After scoring 14 goals over his first two seasons in West Point, Bilek registered 18 as a junior in 2020-21. The consummate team player will wear the ‘C’ for a second consecutive season for Brian Riley’s group. He’s a power forward who goes to the net, plays hard between the dots, and wins a lot of 50/50 battles. Bilek is certainly the top candidate from Atlantic Hockey.
Veeti Miettinen
St. Cloud, So., LW, 5-9/159
NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs (2020, 6th rd., #168 overall)
I struggled to come up with preseason Hobey contenders after the first group. There are several NCHC players who are deserving, but I settled on Miettinen as I think he could have a breakout season. His SCSU team is primed to win the NCHC and have a good shot at the program’s first national title. The Finnish native is on the smaller side, but he has good edges, is crafty, and has an underrated release. He scored 11 goals and 13 assists as a freshman. Big things could be ahead for Miettinen and the Huskies in 2021-22.
Zach Metsa
Quinnipiac, Sr., D, 5-9/182
It was hard to pick another eastern player who truly stands out. There are a bunch of really good hockey players on Northeastern, UMass, Boston University and Boston College who could squeeze in here. I went with Metsa as I think he’s quietly progressed in every season he’s been in Hamden. With Odeen Tufto gone, he’ll have to help generate more offense from the backend than he did previously. After scoring just 21 points through two seasons, Metsa notched five goals and 21 assists in 29 games as a junior. Metsa and the Bobcats should once again be a top four team in ECAC Hockey.
Three locals to consider
Michael Callahan
Providence, Sr., D, 6-2/196
NHL: Arizona Coyotes (2018, 5th rd., #142 overall)
Callahan will be a third-year captain for Nate Leaman’s squad in 2021-22. The Franklin, Mass., native has always been good defensively, but his offensive production has picked up during his time as a Friar. Through 100 college games, Callahan has 10 goals and 42 assists.
Marc McLaughlin
Boston College, Sr., C, 6-0/205
McLaughlin, hailing from North Billerica, Mass., is in his second year as captain of the Eagles. Jerry York’s top center is the type of player you root for. He always plays hard and gets the most out of his physical ability. After scoring eight and 12 points in his first two seasons, he scored 24 last year. It was the first time he hit double digits in goals, lighting the lamp 10 times. McLaughlin is a leader who will play in all situations. If the Eagles surpass expectations, McLaughlin will be a major reason why.
Aidan McDonough
Northeastern, Jr., LW, 6-2/201
NHL: Vancouver Canucks (2019, 7th rd., #195 overall)
McDonough is a power forward who has hovered around a point per game through his first two seasons of college hockey. The Thayer alum was always knocked for his skating, but it’s gotten better and he’s continued to play a hard, heavy game around the net. There are a lot of big names vying for ice time up front at NU. If he can continue to bolster his production, I’d give him some consideration for Hobey, along with Harris and Sam Colangelo.
