Wings prospect Max Plante voted Hobey Baker winner as top NCAA player
Max Plante, a draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, was named college hockey's top player on Friday night in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas — Red Wings draft pick Max Plante earned some heavy hardware Friday. Plante received the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top men’s player, announced in a ceremony at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. Plante, a 2024 second round draft pick of Detroit, scored 52 points in 40 games as a sophomore for Minnesota-Duluth.
Michigan center T. J. Hughes and Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp were the other two finalists for the award.
Hughes is expected to sign an NHL contract in the coming days as a graduating senior and top undrafted prospect on the market. After knocking out Hughes and the Wolverines on Thursday, Pohlkamp and Denver will play Wisconsin for the national championship at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. Injury woes set Plante back in his freshman season, a 28-point campaign that flashed the abilities that made him a top prospect in his class as he won a gold medal with the United States World Junior Championship team.
Healthy this season, 20-year-old Plante was the leading force behind a strong season for Minnesota-Duluth alongside his older brother, Zam, and close friend Ty Hanson. The Bulldogs lost to Michigan in the Albany regional final, though the appearance broke a three-year drought since Plante’s father, journeyman NHLer Derek, left to coach in the NHL. Plante is the first Hobey Baker winner at Minnesota-Duluth since Scott Perunovich in 2020.