SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Student-athletes from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) make up two-thirds of the 2026 Hobey Hat Trick. Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Max Plante and Denver junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp were both named among the three finalists for this year’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation revealed the trio of finalists for the prestigious honor on Thursday.
 
This year marks only the second time the NCHC has been home to two Hobey Hat Trick finalists and the first time since 2020, when North Dakota’s Jordan Kawaguchi and Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Perunovich were up for the award (Perunovich ultimately won the 2020 Hobey Baker Award). Rounding out the 2026 Hobey Hat Trick this season is Michigan senior forward TJ Hughes.
 
Plante and Pohlkamp now give the National 13 Hobey Hat Trick finalists in Conference history. The NCHC has had at least one student-athlete in the Hobey Hat Trick each of the last three seasons and 11 times in the conference’s 13-year history (only 2023 and 2016 did the NCHC not have a Hobey Hat Trick finalist). Former DU defenseman and current Vancouver Canuck Zeev Buium was part of the 2025 Hobey Hat Trick last year.
 
The 2026 Hobey Baker Award, presented to the most outstanding player in men’s college hockey, will be announced live in person on Friday, April 10 during NCAA Men’s Frozen Four weekend in Las Vegas. The Hobey Baker Award ceremony will take place in the Presidio Ballroom at the Park MGM Hotel at 5 p.m. PT. The awards presentation, which also includes the Mike Richter Award, Hockey Humanitarian Award, AHCA All-Americans and more, will be televised live on NHL Network and streamed on the NHL’s YouTube channel.
 
Plante and Pohlkamp were both named First-Team All-NCHC this season, and were both tabbed to the All-CHN First Team by College Hockey News today, as well. The duo also landed on the 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team, with Pohlkamp’s Pioneers edging Plante’s Bulldogs for the National Cup and NCHC Tournament title in double overtime on March 21.
 
Plante compiled a career year for the Bulldogs, earning both NCHC Player of the Year and NCHC Forward of the Year honors while being the lone unanimous selection to the All-NCHC First Team this season. He also earned NCAA Albany Regional All-Tournament Team honors after helping UMD reach the regional final. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick leads the NCHC and ranks third nationally with 52 points in 40 games this season (1.30 ppg). His 25 goals also pace the NCHC and tie for second in the NCAA after scoring in both the NCHC Semifinals and Championship, as well as in the NCAA Regional Semifinals, where he tallied two points in a win over Penn State.
 
Plante buried six game-winning goals this year to tie for first in the NCHC and third in the country. The Hermantown, Minnesota native also dished out 27 assists while posting a +19 plus/minus, which is sixth in the NCHC and in the top 20 among NCAA forwards. His 152 shots on goal this season tie for third nationally and rank second behind Pohlkamp in the NCHC.
 
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 finishing the year on a five-game point streak (3g/4a). He logged 15 multi-point games and at least a point in 29 of his 40 outings. 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 season this year.
 
Along with First-Team All-NCHC, Pohlkamp picked up NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year honors this season and was runner-up for NCHC Player of the Year behind Plante, as he’s the lone blueliner in the Hobey Hat Trick. The San Jose Sharks draft pick leads all NCAA blueliners with 39 points in 41 games this year (0.95 ppg), while his 18 goals are six more than any other defenseman in the country. The 18 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 fourth nationally among rearguards.
 
Along with his goals, Pohlkamp has handed out 21 assists, which are ninth among NCAA defensemen and fourth in the NCHC. The native of Baxter, Minnesota boasts a +25 plus/minus on the year, which is second among NCHC blueliners and seventh among NCAA defensemen. His 77 blocked shots lead the NCHC and tie for sixth nationally on the year, while averaging 23:44 time on ice per game. Pohlkamp has also fired 185 shots on goal this season, which leads all NCAA skaters regardless of position by 27 shots.
 
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, Pohlkamp has recorded at least a point in 25 games so far this season, including 11 multi-point outings. His latest came in the NCAA Loveland Region final last Sunday with a goal and an assist against Western Michigan to help DU advance to its third straight Frozen Four. The Pioneers face Michigan in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 9.
 
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 three Hobey Hat Trick finalists were selected from the initial list of Top Ten finalists by the 30-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner.
 
Criteria for the award 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.
 
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.
 
Including Perunovich, the Bulldogs are home to six Hobey Baker Award winners all-time, the most of any college hockey program. The Pioneers boast two Hobey Baker Award winners, both defensemen, in Butcher and fellow blueliner Matt Carle, who won the award in 2006 and is the brother of DU head coach David Carle.
 
2026 Hobey Hat Trick Finalists

• TJ Hughes, University of Michigan, F
• Max Plante, University of Minnesota Duluth, F
• Eric Pohlkamp, University of Denver, D

NCHC All-Time Hobey Hat Trick Finalists

• 2026 – Max Plante, UMD; Eric Pohlkamp, Denver
• 2025 – Zeev Buium, Denver
• 2024 – Jackson Blake, North Dakota
• 2022 – Bobby Brink, Denver
• 2021 – Shane Pinto, North Dakota
• 2020 – Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota; Scott Perunovich, UMD (winner)
• 2019 – Jimmy Schuldt, St. Cloud State
• 2018 – Henrik Borgstrom, Denver
• 2017 – Will Butcher, Denver (winner)
• 2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota
• 2014 – Nic Dowd, St. Cloud State