Hobey Baker Watch: Week 5

Story posted November 7, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by Jeremy Ganes

With conference games ramping up around the college hockey landscape, the Hobey Baker Award race continues to take shape. There are a myriad of intriguing candidates for the sport’s highest individual honor as we turn the calendar to November, so let’s take a look at the Hobey Baker leaders in Week 5.

Jack Dugan, Providence
Dugan is the nation’s points leader entering the fifth week of the season with 18. Dugan has five goals on the season, but his 13 assists show that he is even better at facilitating offense for others than he is at creating opportunities for himself. The main beneficiary of his puck-sharing skills is fellow Providence forward Tyce Thompson, who has seven goals on the season and sits just behind Dugan in points at second in the nation. With 2.25 points per game and four points in a game against Maine back in early October, Dugan is showing his ability to absolutely wreck a game for the opposing team.

Nate Sucese, Penn State
Sucese also sits near the top of the list in points scored with 13 on the season. Most recently, Sucese put up a goal in each game against Wisconsin over the past weekend, helping his Nittany Lions to a well-executed series sweep over a very talented Badgers team. With the crazy offense that Penn State runs on a yearly basis, Sucese and other Penn State players almost always end up in the Hobey Baker Award conversation. Look for the senior to continue to score points and stay in contention for the award.

Cal Burke, Notre Dame
While the Fighting Irish are often known for their lockdown defense on the ice, they do have some real difference-makers who can light up the scoreboard, and Burke is certainly one of these players. Burke has four goals and nine assists on the season and had four points against Lake Superior in one of his best games in this young season. He forms a dynamic duo with Mike O’ Leary, another senior forward who scores in bunches for Notre Dame. Burke is well on his way to topping his career best in points and will look to remain a hot name in the race for the Hobey Baker Award.

Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
The freshman phenom has burst onto the scene in Madison with 11 points to begin the season, and the 15th overall selection of the 2019 NHL entry draft has not disappointed fans at Wisconsin so far. Though Caufield was largely kept in check by the Nittany Lions defense over the weekend, the young star should continue to progress and perform at a high level as he learns to adjust to stiff competition in the Big Ten. With a big series against Notre Dame looming, Caufield will get another chance to shine and show why the professional hockey world values him so highly. 

 

Jeremy Ganes is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jlgg6097@psu.edu.