A first look at the Hobey landscape for 2014
In the first Hobey Watch of 2014, we revisit the big questions and get a sense of where we stand at the midway point of the season.
Hobey Watch
A look at the top contenders for the Hobey Baker Award
Final thoughts and a quick look at next season’s potential Hobey hopefuls
The end of another college hockey season is upon us, and along with it, the end of another Hobey Watch. Congratulations to Drew LeBlanc and St. Cloud State on the program’s first Hobey Baker Award, and congratulations to Yale on its first NCAA championship. Having spent a lot of time around the Yale and Quinnipiac … Read more
No matter who takes the hardware, Hobey winner will break the mold
So here we are. It’s the week of the Frozen Four, and on Saturday night either Yale, Quinnipiac, St. Cloud State or Massachusetts-Lowell will be crowned the NCAA hockey champion for the 2012-13 season. Suffice it to say, this isn’t your typical Frozen Four. So, it’s only fitting that when the 2013 Hobey Baker Award … Read more
After regional weekend creates more questions than it answers, here’s a Hat Trick prediction
So what in the world do I do with this? I expected the weekend’s events at the NCAA regional tournaments to provide some kind of answers as to the race for the Hobey Baker Award, but all I’m left with now are more questions. First, we’ll address the question that’s been on a number of … Read more
In regionals, Hobey finalists get one last chance to impress
The NCAA tournament is almost upon us, and with it the last chance for Hobey Baker Award finalists to state their case for college hockey’s top individual honor. Of course, three of those finalists are not players I had predicted being part of the top 10, and I’ll address that briefly here. First up is … Read more
Who makes the Hobey Baker Award top 10 list? Here’s a prediction
It’s that time, folks. On Thursday, the finalists for the Hobey Baker Award will be named, which means it’s time for me to pick my projected top 10 and see how many I wind up getting right. A quick note before we begin: I’d like to apologize for the omission of St. Cloud State’s Drew … Read more
Wide-open race makes for important final weeks for Hobey hopefuls
As we prepare for next week’s announcement of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the most impressive thing to me about this year’s race is how wide open it is. Yes, with the proverbial gun to my head, I would still pick Boston College’s Johnny Gaudreau to win the award when all is … Read more
USCHO.com Hobey Watch 2013 Podcast, Episode 3: Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin
USCHO.com’s Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger take a look at the candidates for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award. In this podcast, Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin discusses three premier players from Atlantic Hockey: forwards Ryan Misiak from Mercyhurst and Brett Gensler from Bentley, and Niagara goaltender Carson Chubak.
Team success might determine the fate of Carey’s candidacy
The action is starting to pick up in the Hobey Watch with conference playoffs under way in the CCHA, Atlantic Hockey and ECAC Hockey. Of course, the announcement of the top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award takes place prior to the conference championship weekend, so the next two weeks will offer Hobey hopefuls … Read more
USCHO.com Hobey Watch 2013 Podcast, Episode 2: Boston College coach Jerry York
USCHO.com’s Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger take a look at the 2013 candidates for the Hobey Baker Award from Hockey East with Boston College coach Jerry York, including BC forwards Steven Whitney and Johnny Gaudreau, New Hampshire’s Kevin Goumas, and Massachusetts-Lowell goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
An extended Gaudreau scoring slowdown could open the door
If you think I’ve been spending too much time on unlikely Hobey Baker Award winners in this season’s Hobey Watch, then this post is for you because it’s all about Johnny Gaudreau. Of course, it’s not lost on me that this post comes at a time when Gaudreau has been absent from the score sheet … Read more
Why the nomination is the award for some candidates
I’ll be the first one to admit that the Hobey Watch is not necessarily always about a player who could win the Hobey Baker Award. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I know I make the Academy Award comparison often on this blog, but with the Oscars just a couple of days … Read more
USCHO.com Hobey Watch 2013 Podcast, Episode 1: St. Lawrence coach Greg Carvel
USCHO.com’s Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by St. Lawrence coach Greg Carvel to discuss 2013 candidates for the Hobey Baker Award from ECAC Hockey: forwards Kyle Flanagan and Greg Carey from St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac goalie Eric Hartzell.
On St. Lawrence’s Greg Carey and another single-player ticket
Well, that’s always fun. As expected, there was no shortage of discussion after last week’s Hobey Watch Blog entry, in which we got into the ever-controversial character component of the award. We all have our opinions and we all had an opportunity to voice them over the past couple of weeks. However, it’s time to … Read more
Character matters — as it should — but there’s a line to be drawn
I got a LinkedIn notification earlier this week that this month marks five years since I started writing the Hobey Watch Blog for USCHO. Of course, I’ve been part of the Hobey Watch a bit longer than that, starting in 2005 at CSTV, but it still gets me thinking. Over the past eight years, I’ve … Read more
North Dakota’s Corban Knight, and the benefits of a one-player ticket
I have a bit of a confession to make. At the end of last week’s Hobey Watch, my closing lines were intended as a bit of a dig at a certain segment of the college hockey universe. The joke, in case you forgot … My favorite thing about conference realignment? No more whining about how … Read more
How will Hobey voters view Atlantic Hockey and Bentley’s Brett Gensler?
Whenever I describe the Frozen Four to someone outside the college hockey world, I tell them that it’s not just a sporting event but a family reunion. The time I spend with my fellow USCHO writers, along with other college hockey media members like DJ Powers from Hockey’s Future, John “Jocko” Connolly of the Boston … Read more
History suggests Bjugstad needs to climb the scoring ladder for shot at Hobey
In the comments section of last week’s Hobey Watch, one USCHO reader seemed to take great offense at the fact that my blog entry contained no mention of Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad, as if I’d never heard of him. For what it’s worth, this is the same Nick Bjugstad whom I (incorrectly) predicted as one … Read more
Fair or not, Gaudreau’s World Juniors performance may help in Hobey race
Yes, folks, it’s back. It’s finally back. The Hobey Watch Blog is back for the run up to the presentation of the 2013 Hobey Baker Award. Why, what did you think I was talking about? In all seriousness, with the Hobey Baker “nominees” being announced this week and voting now open at HobeyBakerAward.com, it’s a … Read more
One more pick: Who will win the Hobey Baker?
For the first time since 2008, I’m not at the Frozen Four. While I certainly am not rooting for any of the teams in particular, I have to admit that I’m a bit worried about what might happen if Boston College wins it all. You see, if BC wins another Frozen Four that I don’t … Read more