SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Two National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) standouts have been named finalists for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as the top 10 finalists were announced by the Hobey Baker Foundation on Wednesday. Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Max Plante and Denver junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp are both among the 10 up for college hockey’s most prestigious honor.
 
Plante and Pohlkamp are both finalists for NCHC Player of the Year, as well, which will be announced tomorrow (Thursday), while both also earned First-Team All-NCHC honors this season. The two will square off in the 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship Game this Saturday night as No. 4 Denver hosts No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Magness Arena for the National Cup.
 
The NCHC’s two Hobey finalists tie with ECAC for second-most from one conference, trailing only the Big Ten’s four finalists. Plante is one of eight forwards among the 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists and one of three sophomores. Pohlkamp is the lone defenseman tabbed a finalist this season and one of only two juniors. He also marks the third straight year Denver has had a Hobey Baker Award finalist. Both NCHC finalists hail from the state of Minnesota and are among a trio of Minnesotans up for the honor.
 
Plante has compiled a career year for the Bulldogs, earning NCHC Forward of the Year honors while being the lone unanimous selection to the All-NCHC First Team this season. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick leads the NCHC and ranks fifth nationally with 48 points in 37 games this season (1.30 ppg), while his 23 goals also pace the NCHC and tie for fifth in the NCAA.
 
Plante has buried six game-winning goals on the year, including in last Saturday’s Frozen Faceoff Semifinal win at North Dakota, to tie for first in the NCHC and third in the country. The Hermantown, Minnesota native has also dished out 25 assists while posting a +16 plus/minus, which is fourth in the NCHC and in the top 15 among NCAA forwards.
 
In conference play, Plante was fifth in NCHC scoring, averaging more than a point per game with 25 points in 24 games. The UMD assistant captain scored 12 goals and added 13 assists in NCHC action, ranking fifth in goals, as well.  
 
Plante failed to score a point in only one series all season, while logging 14 multi-point games and at least a point in 26 of his 37 outings. He’s fired 133 shots on goal so far this season. The winger was the NCHC and National Forward of the Month for October, when he also picked up an NCHC Forward of the Week nod. Plante was also a member of the U.S. National Junior Team for a second straight year this season.
 
Along with First-Team All-NCHC, Pohlkamp picked up NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year honors this season. The San Jose Sharks draft pick leads all NCAA blueliners with 37 points in 38 games this year (0.97 ppg), while his 17 goals are five more than any other defenseman in the country. The 17 markers also break the NCHC single-season record for goals by a defenseman (record was 15). In addition, Pohlkamp became one of only five NCHC defensemen ever to record a hat trick, doing so on Oct. 11 against Bentley, while he’s one of only five NCAA blueliners with a hat trick this season. His three game-winning goals tie for third nationally among rearguards.
 
Along with his goals, Pohlkamp has handed out 20 assists, which are tied for ninth among NCAA defensemen and third in the NCHC. The native of Baxter, Minnesota boasts a +24 plus/minus on the year, which is second among NCHC blueliners and eighth among NCAA defensemen. His 72 blocked shots are second in the NCHC and rank 12th nationally on the year, while averaging 23:41 time on ice per game. Pohlkamp has also fired 166 shots on goal this season, which leads all NCAA skaters regardless of position.
 
In conference play, Pohlkamp led all NCHC defensemen with both 22 points and nine goals in 24 games. His +15 plus/minus tied for fourth in NCHC action among all skaters. Overall, he recorded a point in 24 games so far this season, including 10 multi-point outings.
 
Pohlkamp was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week this season, and the NCHC and National Defenseman of the Month for November. He was also a member of the U.S. Collegiate Selects team that finished as runner-up at the 2025 Spengler Cup.
 
The 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists were selected by voting from all 63 Division I men’s college hockey head coaches and online fan balloting. Presented annually to college hockey’s top player, this year's Hobey Baker winner will be chosen from the 10 finalists by the 30-member selection committee. An additional round of fan balloting will run from March 19–March 29 on hobeybaker.com, which accounts for a small percentage of the total ballot in selecting this year’s award recipient.
 
The three Hobey Hat Trick Finalists will be revealed on Thursday, April 2, while the 2026 Hobey Baker Award winner will then be announced on Friday, April 10 during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Las Vegas. The award ceremony will be televised live from the Park MGM on NHL Network and streamed on the Hobey Baker website at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. 
 
Hobey Baker Award criteria includes displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship, and scholastic achievements. The award’s namesake, Hobey Baker, was a World War I fighter pilot and was known as America’s greatest amateur athlete in his day, excelling at hockey and football at Princeton University.
 
Plante and Pohlkamp give the NCHC 21 Hobey Baker Award Top 10 Finalists all-time, as the NCHC has had at least one finalist every year since play began in 2013-2014. The NCHC is home to two previous Hobey Baker Award winners in former Denver defenseman Will Butcher and former Minnesota Duluth defenseman Scott Perunovich. Butcher was the first NCHC player to win the Hobey in 2017, while Perunovich captured the honor in 2020.
 
Key Hobey Baker Award announcement dates for 2026 include:

• Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists: Thursday, April 2 at 4:15 p.m. ET
• Hobey Baker Award winner announced: April 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET (at the Park MGM)

2026 Hobey Baker Award Top 10 Finalists

• Trey Augustine, Michigan State University
• James Hagens, Boston College
• TJ Hughes, University of Michigan
• Gavin McKenna, Penn State University
• Max Plante, University of Minnesota Duluth
• Eric Pohlkamp, University of Denver
• Hayden Stavroff, Dartmouth College
• Charlie Stramel, Michigan State University
• Felix Trudeau, Sacred Heart University
• Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac University