And then there were three.
The list of prospects in contention for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award has been narrowed down from 10 on Thursday, leaving a trio of first-round picks in the running.
Minnesota Wild’s Zeev Buium (No. 12, 2024), Tampa Bay Lightning’s Isaac Howard (No. 31, 2022) and Washington Capitals’ Ryan Leonard (No. 8, 2023) are the 2025 “Hat Trick Finalists” for the award given to the top NCAA men’s hockey player.
Of the three, Leonard is the lone prospect to have found ice time in the NHL thus far. The 20-year-old made his Capitals debut on Tuesday. Most of his year was spent with No. 1-seeded Boston College before they fell to Buium’s Denver University in the quarterfinal of the 2025 Frozen Four tournament.
Through 37 collegiate games this year, Leonard posted an NCAA-best 30 goals and 19 assists to go with a plus-30 rating. His 49 points were the sixth-most and his 0.81 goals per game also ranked first.
Buium, meanwhile, has backlined a Denver squad that leads collegiate hockey in scoring offence. Through 40 games, the 19-year-old tallied 13 goals and 35 assists for a plus-17 rating. He ranked second for both total and average assists while his 48 points were tied for seventh-most.
The defenceman out of San Diego will lead Denver University in a semifinal matchup against Western Michigan on April 10.
All the while, Howard was also one of the top scorers in college, with his 26 goals ranking third and his 52 points sitting fourth. The Michigan State junior led the NCAA with his 1.41 points per game average. The 21-year-old’s stellar play didn’t help the Spartans make a run, however, as Howard’s third-seeded squad was upset by Cornell in the first round of the DI hockey tournament.
This year’s winner will be announced during the men’s Frozen Four Championship on April 12.
The 2024 Hobey Baker Award winner was San Jose Sharks star and 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini.
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