Prospect Kruse Nominated For Hobey Baker Award

Vegas Golden Knights prospect Brandon Kruse has been nominated for the 2019 Hobey Baker Memorial Award given annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division-I hockey.
Kruse leads the Bowling Green Falcons in scoring with 26 points (7G, 19A) in 23 games and has helped BGSU to a 15-5-3 record and the No. 9 ranking in the nation.
He was selected in the 5th round (135th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Vegas after posting 33 points (8G, 21A) in 41 games as a freshman for the Falcons in 2017-18. Kruse attended development camp with the Golden Knights in June just days after the draft. He met fellow draft picks and prospects at development camp and said that he got his first taste of "what it takes to be a pro."
"I just tried to come in with an open mind and take in as much as I could," Kruse said at camp.

Only two players from Bowling Green have won the Hobey Baker in school history. In 1995, Brian Holzinger won the award, and, before him, Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee was honored in 1982. When McPhee selected Kruse at the 2018 draft, it was confirmation for Kruse that he could make it as a professional hockey player after college.
"I didn't really know if I was getting drafted or not, so it was a really good feeling to be picked," Kruse said after the draft. "I have been looked over my entire life and so was this organization in its first year in the league. They proved a bunch of people wrong. It's the same thing I have been trying to do through my whole entire life, so it's a perfect fit. I couldn't be any happier."
If Kruse continues his strong play, he could become the first player from the entire WCHA to win the Hobey Baker since Holzinger. No player from the WCHA has reached the top-three contenders for the award since Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) in 2003.
A fan vote will determine the top-10 finalists for the 2019 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. A pool of three will be chosen from those 10 and the winner will be announced during the Frozen Four.