Twelve collegiate hockey players have been nominated for the 2026 Hockey Humanitarian Award, its Foundation announced on Tuesday. The award is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
The following are this year’s nominees:
Jack Blake, Sr., D, Bowling Green
Davis Bone, Sr., F, Johnson & Wales
Kara Goulding, Sr., F, Boston College
James Hagens, So., F, Boston College
Kelly Howe, Sr., F, Hobart and William Smith
Tyler Mahan, Sr., F, RIT
Grace Sadura, Sr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Meg Simon, Sr., F, Middlebury
Jayden Sison, Sr., D, Princeton
Ryan Tattle, Sr., F, Connecticut
Alex Tracy, Sr., F, Minnesota State
Brendan Vettraino, Sr., F, Misericordia
Finalists for the 2026 Hockey Humanitarian Award will be announced in February. This year’s recipient will be announced on Friday, April 10th during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four weekend in Las Vegas.
Sarah Thompson of St. Lawrence (Syracuse ’24) was honored as the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient. Boston University’s J.P. McKersie was the inaugural recipient of the award in 1996.
“In the end, it’s not how many times you touch the puck, but how often you touch a life.”