On Campus: Perunovich the pick for Hobey Baker Award

The three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award -- the Hobey Hat Trick --
were announced Thursday
.

St. Louis Blues defenseman prospect Scott Perunovich of the University of Minnesota Duluth, Boston Bruins goaltender prospect Jeremy Swayman of the University of Maine and forward Jordan Kawaguchi of the University of North Dakota are the finalists for the award presented annually to the top NCAA men's Division I hockey player.
The winner will be revealed April 11.
If there was a surprise in the voting it was that forward Jack Dugan of Providence College, a Vegas Golden Knights prospect, did not make the top three after leading the NCAA with 52 points (10 goals, 42 assists), seven points more than Kawaguchi an undrafted free agent, who finished second.
There's no clear frontrunner this season, unlike last season when defenseman Cale Makar of the University of Massachusetts, now with the Colorado Avalanche, won after being the overwhelming favorite throughout the season.
Perunovich, Swayman and Kawaguchi each makes a compelling candidate this season.
Here's the winning case for each player:

Scott Perunovich, D, Minnesota Duluth

A second-round pick (No. 45) by the St. Louis Blues in the 2018 NHL Draft, Perunovich had an outstanding individual season after helping Duluth win back-to-back NCAA championships in 2018 and 2019.
"He can slow a game down, he can push the pace, he can control the game," Duluth coach Scott Sandelin told Collegehockeynews.com. "I think the one area he's gotten better is defensively. So I think his game is more complete. When he's healthy and playing his game, he's a difference maker."
A superb skater, Perunovich (5-foot-9, 172 pounds) ran Duluth's power play, which was ninth in the NCAA at 25.4 percent. He led Duluth with 40 points (six goals, 34 assists) in 34 games and became the first defenseman to lead the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in scoring with 32 points (four goals, 28 assists) in 24 conference games and was named NCHC Player of the Year.
The 21-year-old agreed to terms with the Blues on a two-year entry-level contract March 27.
He finished his NCAA career with 105 points (20 goals, 85 assists) in 115 games.

Jeremy Swayman, G, Maine

No goalie meant more to his team this season than the Boston Bruins prospect, a fourth round pick (No. 111) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Swayman (6-2, 187) was the difference between winning and losing for Maine on many nights. He The junior goalie put on a show down the stretch of the season as he went 10-3 with two ties in his final 15 games and helped Maine earn home ice in the Hockey East playoffs for the first time since 2011. The playoffs were canceled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
The 21-year-old made the most saves (1,099) while facing the most shots (1,170) among Division I goalies. His .939 save percentage was second, behind Dryden McKay of Minnesota State (.942)
"The numbers provide evidence of his excellence," Maine coach Red Gendron said. "But more than that, he provided our team with tremendous confidence because we all understood that he would make the saves we needed whenever we needed them, ultimately leading to our team's success. His work habits and disciplined professionalism rivaled other great goalies I've been privileged to be on teams with, like Martin Brodeur and (Jonathan) Quick. These things can't be seen by just looking at numbers, but everyone here understands how real it truly was."
Swayman would be the third goalie to win the Hobey Baker, joining Ryan Miller of Michigan State University in 2001 and Robb Stauber of the University of Minnesota in 1988.
He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Bruins on March 18.

Jordan Kawaguchi, F, North Dakota

Kawaguchi (5-9, 185) led North Dakota with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) and had the team in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament prior to its cancelation due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
The 22-year-old junior scored five game-winning goals and had 13 game-winning points.
Kawaguchi, the 25th North Dakota player to be a Hobey Baker Award finalist, plans to return to for his senior season. Undrafted, he figures to be a top free agent target next spring.
Who should win?
I don't have a vote for the Hobey Baker Award, but if I did it would go to Perunovich.
Not only does he have excellent stats, he aces the eye test. It's a treat to watch Perunovich retrieve the puck in his end, dodge forecheckers and pass the puck out of the defensive zone. He can just as easily skate the puck out of trouble and carry it up the ice himself. In the offensive zone, whether on the power play or at even strength, he makes winning plays.
For me, he was the best player in college hockey this season.