Jackson Blake named Hobey Baker Award finalist
Mar. 20—GRAND FORKS — The Hobey Baker Award may soon become Hobey Blaker's award.
Jackson Blake, the UND star sophomore forward, was named one of 10 finalists for college hockey's top individual honor Wednesday.
The other finalists are Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini, Denver forward Jack Devine, Boston College forward Cutter Gauthier, Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf, Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson, Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan, Holy Cross forward Liam McLinskey, Minnesota State-Mankato forward Sam Morton and Boston College forward Will Smith.
Blake is the 27th finalist from UND. Among those he joined on the list: his father, Jason, who was a finalist in 1997 and 1999.
UND's only previous winners are Tony Hrkac in 1987 and Ryan Duncan in 2007.
"He's a difference-maker," UND coach Brad Berry said. "He's a competitor. He loves the game. He loves being around the rink. He's such a humble guy. People see him scoring goals and assists and being a difference-maker on the ice. What I see as a coach is that he's turning into an outstanding leader.
"There are not too many guys who are sophomores that take charge of not only their line but their team a little bit, too, saying the right things on the bench. Sometimes as a sophomore, you rely on the juniors and seniors and grads to drive the bus — and they do. But he's chirping in, too. He's saying all the right things that coaches or leaders would say on the bench. I'm seeing a leadership side you don't normally see with young guys."
Blake has a realistic shot at winning the award.
Blake is the NCAA's second-leading scorer with 57 points in 38 games, just one back of Smith. He has a whopping 20-point lead on anyone else on his Fighting Hawks team.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., product has been on a tear down the stretch, tallying 31 points in his last 16 games.
He has 99 points for his career.
With one more, he'll become the first UND player to reach 100 career points as a sophomore since Zach Parise in 2003-04. He has a chance to become the sixth-fastest UND player in history to join the Century Club.
The only ones he can't catch are Troy Murray, Hrkac, Parise, Greg Johnson and Perry Berezan.
Blake is a finalist for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's Player of the Year and Forward of the Year awards. Those will be announced Thursday night at the annual NCHC Awards Banquet.
Final voting is done after the NCAA regionals.
The top three will be announced at 11 a.m. on April 4.
The award will be presented during the NCAA Frozen Four on April 12.
UND's most recent finalists are Shane Pinto in 2021 and Jordan Kawaguchi in 2020. Both made the Hobey Hat Trick as top-three finalists.
