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Feature Friday: USHL Alumni Aplenty on Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Award Lists
36 Alumni on Initial Hobey Baker List, 7 of 9 Mike Richter Finalists
The USHL is in great position to sweep both the Hobey Baker Award and Mike Richter Award for the second-straight season. When the initial lists were announced for each award, USHL alumni were all over the lists, accounting for more than half of the combined nominees. On the Hobey Baker Award Initial List, 36 of the 69 nominees were USHL alumni while 23 of the initial 35 Mike Richter Award nominees came from the USHL.
Hobey Baker Award Nominees (Initial List)
| Name | Position | NCAA Team | USHL Team (Seasons) | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attard, Ronnie | Defenseman | Western Michigan University | Tri-City Storm (2016-19) | Philadelphia Flyers (2019, Round 3, #72) |
| Boldy, Matthew | Forward | Boston College | USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19) | Minnesota Wild (2019, Round 1, #12) |
| Borchardt, Cade | Forward | Minnesota State University | Madison Capitols (2017-18), Sioux Falls Stampede (2018-19) | |
| Bronte, Tyrone | Forward | University of Alabama-Huntsville | Omaha Lancers (2017-18) | |
| Calder, Ashton | Forward | Lake Superior State University | Lincoln Stars (2017-18) | |
| Carlile, Declan | Defenseman | Merrimack College | Lincoln Stars (2018-19), Muskegon Lumberjacks (2018-19) | |
| Cates, Noah | Forward | University of Minnesota Duluth | Omaha Lancers (2015-18) | Philadelphia Flyers (2017, Round 5, #137) |
| Cruikshank, Grant | Forward | Colorado College | USA Hockey NTDP (2014-15) | |
| Dawe, Adam | Forward | University of Maine | Sioux Falls Stampede (2017-18) | |
| Farrance, David | Defenseman | Boston University | USA Hockey NTDP (2015-17) | Nashville Predators (2017, Round 3, #92) |
| Frank, Ethen | Forward | Western Michigan University | Lincoln Stars (2014-17) | |
| Godbout, Marcel | Forward | Sacred Heart University | Des Moines Buccaneers (2013-14), Waterloo Black Hawks (2014-15), Chicago Steel (2014-16), Madison Capitols (2015-17), Sioux City Musketeers (2016-17) | |
| Harris, Jordan | Defenseman | Northeastern University | Youngstown Phantoms (2017-18) | Montreal Canadiens (2018, Round 3, #71) |
| Hutsko, Logan | Forward | Boston College | USA Hockey NTDP (2015-17) | Florida Panthers (2018, Round 3, #89) |
| Jefferies, Alex | Defenseman | Merrimack College | Dubuque Fighting Saints (2018-19) | New York Islanders (2020, Round 4, #121) |
| Kalble, Lukas | Defenseman | Lake Superior State University | Fargo Force (2016-17) | |
| Kiersted, Matt | Defenseman | University of North Dakota | Chicago Steel (2014-17) | |
| Knight, Spencer | Goaltender | Boston College | USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19) | Florida Panthers (2019, Round 1, #13) |
| Kopeke, Cole | Forward | University of Minnesota Duluth | Sioux City Musketeers (2016-18) | Tampa Bay Lightning (2018, Round 6, #183) |
| Limoges, Alex | Forward | Penn State University | Tri-City Storm (2015-17), Waterloo Black Hawks (2016-17) | |
| McKay, Dryden | Goaltender | Minnesota State University | Green Bay Gamblers (2015-16), Madison Capitols (2016-18) | |
| Pertuzzelli, Keith | Goaltender | Quinnipiac University | Muskegon Lumberjacks (2016-17) | Detroit Red Wings (2017, Round 3, #88) |
| Perbix, Nick | Defenseman | St. Cloud State University | Omaha Lancers (2017-18) | Tampa Bay Lightning (2017, Round 6, #169) |
| Pinto, Shane | Forward | University of North Dakota | Lincoln Stars (2018-19), Tri-City Storm (2018-19) | Ottawa Senators (2019, Round 2, #32) |
| Power, Owen | Defenseman | University of Michigan | Chicago Steel (2018-20) | 2021 NHL Draft Prospect |
| Primeau, Chayse | Forward | University of Nebraska-Omaha | Lincoln Stars (2015-17), Dubuque Fighting Saints (2017-18) | |
| Schmidt-Svesjstrup, Jacob | Forward | University of Maine | Dubuque Fighting Saints (2016-17), Fargo Force (2017-18) | |
| Slavin, Josiah | Forward | Colorado College | Tri-City Storm (2016-17), Lincoln Stars (2017-19), Chicago Steel (2018-19) | Chicago Blackhawks (2018, Round 7, #193) |
| Smith, Nathan | Forward | Minnesota State University | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2017-19) | Winnipeg Jets (2018, Round 3, #91) |
| Solow, Zach | Forward | Northeastern University | Dubuque Fighting Saints (2015-17) | |
| Steeves, Alex | Forward | University of Notre Dame | Sioux City Musketeers (2015-16), Dubuque Fighting Saints (2016-18) | |
| Swaney, Nick | Forward | University of Minnesota Duluth | Waterloo Black Hawks (2013-17) | Minnesota Wild (2017, Round 7, #209) |
| Thompson, Tyce | Forward | Providence College | Dubuque Fighting Saints (2016-18) | New Jersey Devils (2019, Round 4, #96) |
| Tralmaks, Eduards | Forward | University of Maine | Chicago Steel (2016-17) | |
| Tufto, Odeen | Forward | Quinnipiac University | Fargo Force (2016-17), Tri-City Storm (2016-17), Sioux City Musketeers (2016-17) | |
| York, Cam | Defenseman | University of Michigan | USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19) | Philadelphia Flyers (2019, Round 1, #14) |
Last season, University of Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Scott Perunovich won the Hobey Baker Award, marking the 13th USHL alumnus to win the award and eighth in the last 10 seasons. Among the nominees, 24 are forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders. Of the 36 USHL alumni named to the Hobey Baker Initial List, 17 have been drafted by NHL teams including a team-high three players selected by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hobey Baker Award nominees also include true freshman University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power who is eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft. All 16 USHL Member Clubs are represented on the Hobey Baker Initial List, including six alumni from the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Lincoln Stars and USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). Other teams with multiple alumni include: Chicago Steel (5), Tri-City Storm (5), Sioux City Musketeers (4), Fargo Force (3), Madison Capitols (3), Omaha Lancers (3), Waterloo Black Hawks (3), Muskegon Lumberjacks (2), and Sioux Falls Stampede (2).
Mike Richter Award Finalists
When the Mike Richter Award Finalists were announced, USHL alumni accounted for seven of the nine names on the list. USHL alumni have won the award in each of the last three seasons (Jeremy Swayman, 2019-20; Cayden Primeau, 2018-19; Cale Morris, 2017-18) and have won five of the last six Mike Richter Awards. This season's USHL alumni Finalists include a pair of NHL drafted netminders (Spencer Knight, Flordia Panthers & Keith Petruzzelli, Detroit Red Wings) as well as Jaxson Stauber who played in the USHL last season and won the Clark Cup Championship with the Sioux Falls Stampede (2018-19).
All seven USHL alumni Finalists can be found here:
Spencer Knight - Boston College
Strauss Mann - University of Michigan
Dryden McKay - Minnesota State University
Keith Petruzzelli - Quinnipiac University
Blake Pietila - Michigan Tech
Adam Scheel - University of North Dakota
Jaxson Stauber - Providence College
Mike Richter Award Nominees (Initial List)
| Name | NCAA Team | USHL Team (Seasons) | NHL Draft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commesso, Drew | Boston University | USA Hockey NTDP (2018-20) | Chicago Blackhawks (2020, Round 2, #46) |
| DeRidder, Drew | Michigan State University | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2016-17), USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19) | |
| Dop, Eric | Bowling Green State University | Tri-City Storm (2016-17) | |
| Driscoll, Zach | Bemidji State University | Omaha Lancers (2014-15, 2017-18) | |
| Gordon, Erik | College of the Holy Cross | USA Hockey NTDP (2016-17) | |
| Grabko, Nicholas | Bentley University | Green Bay Gamblers (2019-20) | |
| Hrenak, David | St. Cloud State University | Green Bay Gamblers (2016-18) | Los Angeles Kings (2018, Round 5, #144) |
| Knight, Spencer | Boston College | USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19) | Florida Panthers (2019, Round 1, #13) |
| Kucharski, Jake | American International College | Des Moines Buccaneers (2016-19), Omaha Lancers (2018-19) | Carolina Hurricanes (2018, Round 7, #197) |
| Ladd, Matt | Canisius College | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2016-17), Chicago Steel (2016-17) | |
| LaRocque, Zack | Air Force Academy | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2015-17) | |
| Mann, Strauss | University of Michigan | Fargo Force (2017-18) | |
| McKay, Dryden | Minnesota State University | Green Bay Gamblers (2015-16), Madison Capitols (2016-18) | |
| Metcalf, Garrett | Long Island University | Madison Capitols (2014-16), Waterloo Black Hawks (2015-16) | Anaheim Ducks (2015, Round 6, #179) |
| Murray, Matt | University of Massachusetts | Fargo Force (2016-17) | |
| Nappier, Tommy | Ohio State University | Chicago Steel (2016-17), Omaha Lancers (2016-17) | |
| Petruzzelli, Keith | Quinnipiac University | Muskegon Lumberjacks (2016-17) | Detroit Red Wings (2017, Round 3, #88) |
| Pietila, Blake | Michigan Tech | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2017-19) | |
| Rowe, Cameron | University of Wisconsin | USA Hockey NTDP (2017-19), Des Moines Buccaneers (2019-20) | |
| Saville, Isaiah | University of Nebraska-Omaha | Tri-City Storm (2018-19) | Vegas Golden Knights (2019, Round 5, #135) |
| Scheel, Adam | University of North Dakota | USA Hockey NTDP (2015-17) | |
| Stauber, Jaxson | Providence College | Sioux Falls Stampede (2017-20) | |
| Vomacka, Tomas | University of Connecticut | Lincoln Stars (2017-18) | Nashville Predators (2017, Round 5, #154) |
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the 2020-21 season will be the USHL's 19th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league. The USHL had 51 players selected at the 2020 NHL Draft, marking the third-straight season with 50-or-more USHL players selected in the Draft. More than 800 league alumni are currently on NCAA Division I rosters, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
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