Michigan State junior forward Isaac Howard was honored with the Hobey Baker Award on Friday, recognizing him as college hockey’s top player.
At 21 years old, Howard led the nation with an average of 1.41 points per game, making him the first Spartans player to receive the award since goalie Ryan Miller in 2001 and the third in total. Hailing from Hudson, Wisconsin, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 31st pick in the 2022 draft.
This season, Howard ranked fifth nationally with 52 points (26 goals and 26 assists) in 37 games, contributing to Michigan State’s victory in both the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament titles.
He secured the award over two other finalists: Denver’s sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium and Boston College’s sophomore forward Ryan Leonard, who has already transitioned to the NHL with the Washington Capitals.
Jacob Fowler from Boston College received the Mike Richter Award for goalie of the year. He was the only repeat finalist, ending the season ranked third with 25 wins, second with a 1.63 goals-against average, and third with a .940 save percentage.
Boston University’s Cole Hutson, who topped all freshmen with 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists), was awarded the Tim Taylor rookie of the year.
The awards were presented at the NCAA Frozen Four championship in St. Louis, where Western Michigan (33-7-1) faced Boston University (24-13-2) in the final on Saturday night.
Baker was a standout in both football and hockey at Princeton before serving in the Army Air Corps during World War I. Tragically, he was killed in a plane crash in France at the age of 26, just as he was about to return home.
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