Michigan State forward Isaac Howard won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college men’s hockey Thursday night in St. Louis.
Howard, a Minnesota Duluth transfer from Hudson, Wis., had 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games this season and was first nationally in points per game (1.42). He is the third Spartans player to win the award, joining Kip Miller (1990) and Ryan Miller (2001).
Howard, a 2021 first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, beat out Denver defenseman Zeev Buium and Boston College forward Ryan Leonard for the award. The three were teammates on the United States’ gold medal-winning world junior championship team last year.
Meanwhile, Gophers defenseman Sam Rinzel and Western Michigan forward Alex Bump of Prior Lake earned first-team West All-America honors while Gophers forward Jimmy Snuggerud and Minnesota State Mankato goalie Alex Tracy garnered second-team recognition from the American Hockey Coaches Association.
Rinzel, a sophomore from Chanhassen, was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after scoring 10 goals and notching 22 assists for the Gophers this season. A first-round draft pick of the Blackhawks, Rinzel signed with the NHL club after the Gophers’ season ended in a 5-4 overtime loss to Massachusetts in the Fargo Regional semifinals.
Bump, a sophomore, has 23 goals and 24 assists for Western Michigan, which will play Boston University for the NCAA championship on Saturday in St. Louis. Bump also leads the nation with 245 shots on goal.
Snuggerud, a junior, was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award after scoring 24 goals and assisting on 27 this season. He signed with the Blues the day after Minnesota’s season ended.
Tracy, the CCHA Player of the Year, led the nation in goals-against average (1.42) and save percentage (.946) as the Mavericks returned to the NCAA tournament.
