Max Plante, a Detroit Red Wings forward prospect, was named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Thursday.
San Jose Sharks defenseman prospect Eric Pohlkamp and undrafted free agent forward prospect T.J. Hughes are also finalists.
The winner of the award, presented annually to the top NCAA men's hockey player, will be announced during the Frozen Four on April 10, the day before the national championship game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Plante, a 20-year-old sophomore, is tied for second in the NCAA in goals (25) and is third in points (52) in 40 games. He had a point in 29 games this season and ended the season with a five-game point streak (three goals, four assists) for Minnesota Duluth, including an assist in a 4-3 loss to Michigan in the Regional Final on March 29. He would be the first winner for the school since defenseman Scott Perunovich in 2020.
Chosen by the Red Wings in the second round (No. 47) in the 2024 NHL Draft, Plante's older brother, Zam Plante, 21, is a Minnesota Duluth teammate who was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round (No. 150) of the 2022 NHL Draft, and their younger brother, Victor Plante, who plays for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 Team, is No. 36 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters for the 2026 draft. Their father, Derek Plante, played 450 NHL games from 1993-2001 and is a professional scout for the Ottawa Senators.
Pohlkamp leads college hockey defensemen with 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) and 185 shots on goal in 41 games. The 22-year-old junior, who played one season at Bemidji State University before transferring to Denver for the 2024-25 season, was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fifth round (No. 132) of the 2023 draft.
He had a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win against Western Michigan in the Regional Final to help Denver advance to the Frozen Four Semifinal against Michigan at T-Mobile Arena on April 9 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Wisconsin and North Dakota will play in the first semifinal on Friday (5 p.m. ET; ESPN2).
Pohlkamp would be Denver's first Hobey Baker winner since defenseman Will Butcher in 2017.
Hughes, a 24-year-old senior, is second in the NCAA with 56 points (21 goals, 35 assists) in 39 games this season. Hughes has only been held off the scoresheet eight times this season and had 18 multipoint games. He was named the Big Ten player of the year and had a seven-game point streak (six goals, seven assists) end in a 4-3 win against Minnesota Duluth in the Regional Final.
The team captain, Hughes has led Michigan in scoring in each of the past two seasons, and would be Michigan's second Hobey Baker winner in four seasons, after forward Adam Fantilli in 2023.
