The past five Hobey Baker winners and where they are now?
At the end of every NCAA season, there are league-wide votes held to determine the top college hockey player, which is narrowed down to three names, just ahead of the NCAA hockey awards.
These are the last five winners, and where their careers have gone since earning the top college hockey player honour, spanning from 2018 through to 2022.
2017 - In 2017 the top college hockey player was Will Butcher, who played 43 games with the University of Denver, during the 2017-18 season, scoring 7 goals, 30 assists for 37 points.
The native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin., was selected 123rd overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, by the Colorado Avalanche, after scoring 14 goals, 36 assists for 50 points through 93 games, including stints with the USNTDP in the USHL and the U.S. U18 team in the USDP, prior to his selection.
Since being drafted, the defenceman has played 433 games, over eight seasons spent between the NCAA's Univeristy of Denver men's ice hockey team and in the NHL with the Devils and Buffalo Sabres, scoring 43 goals, 173 assists for 216 points. Butcher will play the 2023-23 season with the Dallas Stars.
2018 - Adam Gaudette was awarded the Hobey Baker award for the 2018-19 NCAA season with Northeastern University Huskies, after posting 30 goals, 30 assists for 60 points through 38 games.
The Vancouver Canucks selected the native of Braintree, Massachusetts, with the 149th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, out of the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders program, where Gaudette played 50 games, scoring 13 goals, 17 assists for 30 points.
Since winning the award, Gaudette has suited up for 16 AHL games, with the Utica Comets, scoring six goals, six assists for 12 points, in the NHL, Gaudette has scored 27 goals, 43 assists for 70 points over 218 games; although he has bounced around from the Canucks and Blackhawks, before going to the Senators and now, he will start the 2022-23 campaign with the Maple Leafs.
2019 - Cale Makar played his junior hockey in the AJHL, with the Brooks Bandits, before being scouted by the Univeristy of Massachusetts men's ice hockey team, after a fantastic season posting 24 goals, 51 assists for 75 points through 54 games played.
The Hobey Baker award was given to Makar, after he scored 16 goals, 33 assists for 49 points through 41 games with the Minutemen, during the 2019-20 season.
The native of Calgary, Alberta., was drafted fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Draft, and since winning the Hobey Baker in 2019, the young defenceman has swiftly developed into one of the best defenceman in the NHL, winning the Norris Trophy, and Conn Smythe, to go along with his Stanley Cup ring.
2020 - Scott Perunovich was a standout at both ends of the ice, during his time with the University of Minnesota Duluth, in the NCAA, which warranted the St. Louis Blues to select the native of Hibbing, Minnesota., with the 45th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The 2020 Hobey Baker award was given to Perunovich, after he scored six goals, 34 assists for 40 points through 34 NCAA games, while also growing his defensive game.
Since being drafted the five-feet-ten-inch tall defender has played two seasons with the Bulldogs, scoring nine goals, 60 assists for 69 points through 73 NCAA games.
2021 - Cole Caufield won the Hobey Baker as the top player in the NCAA, during the 2021 season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey; where he scored 30 goals, 22 assists for 52 points through 31 games.
Since winning the award, Caufield won gold at the 2021 World Junior champions with his native, team USA, made his professional debut with the AHL's Laval Rocket - where he scored his first professional points during his time with the club (two games, where he scored three goals, one assist for four points), he was then called up to the Canadiens in the NHL, where he scored four goals, one assist for five points through 10 games, before starring for the Habs during their magical run to the Stanley Cup final, where he played 20 games, scoring four goals, eight assists for 12 points.
Caufield most recently played 67 games with the Canadiens this past season, scoring 23 goals, 20 assists for 43 points.
