PROSPECTS: Barratt & Mitchell nominated for the Hobey Baker

Blackhawks prospects Evan Barratt and Ian Mitchell are among the group of players nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the top collegiate hockey player in the nation. Voting has now opened for Phase I, which runs through Sunday, March 10.
Barratt, a sophomore forward at Penn State, and his teammate and fellow nominee Alex Limoges are tied for second in the nation with 30 points, trailing Michigan State's Taro Hirose.
Barratt paces Penn State with 13 goals, which is tied for the Big Ten conference lead and is good for fourth in the nation. He also has 17 assists, which is good for fifth in the Big Ten.

He opened the 2018-19 campaign with a program-record 11-game point streak from Oct. 12 through Nov. 23. In that stretch, he set a new school record for five-straight multi-point games.
Barratt and Limoges are two of 16 Big Ten players nominated out of a total 81 players.
Barratt was selected by the Blackhawks in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, 90th overall. He recently helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Mitchell, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Denver, was a second-round pick of the Blackhawks in the 2017 NHL Draft, 57th overall.

The Calahoo, Alberta native just recently skated for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Juniors, recording one goal and two assists in five games.
He was named an alternate captain this past summer, and earned NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors on Nov. 5.
Mitchell has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 18 games this season for Denver.
Following the Phase I voting period, the list of players will be narrowed to a final 10, to be announced on March 20. Phase II voting will take place from March 20-31. The fan vote counts for a full one percent of the total ballot during each phase.
The Hobey Hat Trick will be announced on April 4, and the Hobey Baker Award will be presented to the winner on April 12, during the NCAA Frozen Four Championships in Buffalo, NY.
Nominated players were submitted by the athletic departments of the Division I schools with a maximum of three candidates per school. The qualities of award nominees include strength and character, both on and off the ice, contributions to the integrity of the team, outstanding skills in all phases of the game, as well as scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
The last Blackhawks draftee to win the award was Bill Watson in 1982.