Four Blackhawks Prospects Named Hobey Baker Award Nominees

On Thursday, 82 collegiate players were named as nominees for the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s Heisman Trophy equivalent. Fan voting for the award opens today. Players are nominated by the Division I Sports Information Directors for their respective school.

The Chicago Blackhawks have four prospects on the list: forward Dominic James and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser at Minnesota-Duluth, Princeton forward Liam Gorman and Ohio State center Jake Wise.

James, 20, is a sophomore at UMD and had a strong performance for USA Hockey at the World Juniors in August. The Blackhawks selected him in the sixth round (No. 173) in the 2022 NHL Draft. This season, James has seven goals and seven assists in 20 games for the Bulldogs.

Kaiser, 20, is a junior at UMD. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 20 games for the Bulldogs this season. Like James, he performed well for the US at the World Juniors in August and has a strong chance of signing with the Blackhawks at the conclusion of his collegiate season.

Gorman, who turns 23 in early May, has 10 goals and six assists in 19 games at Princeton this season. The Blackhawks acquired his rights from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s listed at 6-3 and 200 pounds and is a junior at Princeton.

Wise, who will turn 23 on Feb. 28, has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 24 games for the Buckeyes. He’s in his fifth collegiate season; he played three years at Boston University before transferring to Ohio State, where he’s enjoyed much more success. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (No. 69 overall) in 2018.

The criteria for the Hobey Baker Award includes demonstrating strength of character both on and off the ice, contributing to the integrity of his team and displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration is also given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.

To vote on the Hobey Baker Award, click HERE.

Here’s the complete list of 2023 Hobey Baker Nominees (in alphabetical order):

Dylan Anhorn – St. Cloud State University
Jacob Bengtsson – Lake Superior State University
Blake Bennett – American International College
Mike Benning – University of Denver
Mitch Benson – Boston College
Carl Berglund – University of Massachusetts Lowell
Louis Boudon – Lake Superior State University
Jacques Bouquot – University of Vermont
Ben Brar – Merrimack College
Matt Brown – Boston University
Mathieu Caron – Brown University
Gianfranco Cassaro – Rochester Institute of Technology
Matthew Coronato – Harvard University
Ryan Cox – Niagara University
Max Crozier – Providence College
Grant Cruikshank – St. Cloud State University
Dylan St. Cyr – Michigan State University
Jakub Dobeš – Ohio State University
Emil Zetterquist – St. Lawrence University
Brock Faber – University of Minnesota
Adam Fantilli – University of Michigan
Sean Farrell – Harvard University
Domenick Fensore – Boston University
Parker Ford – Providence College
Riese Gaber – University of North Dakota
Cutter Gauthier – Boston College
Andre Ghantous – Northern Michigan University
Liam Gorman – Princeton University
Collin Graf – Quinnipiac University
Gustavs Davis Grigals – University of Massachusetts Lowell
Justin Hryckowian – Northeastern University
Luke Hughes – University of Michigan
Lane Hutson – Boston University
Jake Livingstone – Minnesota State University, Mankato
Dominic James – University of Minnesota Duluth
Chris Jandric – University of North Dakota
Trevor Janicke – University of Notre Dame
Alex Jefferies – Merrimack College
Wyatt Kaiser – University of Minnesota Duluth
Jami Krannila – St. Cloud State University
Jackson LaCombe – University of Minnesota
Alex Laferriere – Harvard University
Nick Leivermann – University of Notre Dame
Devon Levi – Northeastern University
Mason Lohrei – Ohio State University
Cruz Lucius – University of Wisconsin–Madison
Ryan Mahshie – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Carter Mazur – University of Denver
Kaidan Mbereko – Colorado College
Ryan McAllister – Western Michigan University
Aidan McDonough – Northeastern University
Hunter McKown – Colorado College
Ty Mueller – University of Nebraska Omaha
Ethan Pearson – Princeton University
Yaniv Perets – Quinnipiac University
Blake Pietila – Michigan Technological University
Jason Polin – Western Michigan University
Eamon Powell – Boston College
Matt Radomsky – University of Alaska Fairbanks
Jack Randl – University of Nebraska Omaha
Massimo Rizzo – University of Denver
Elias Rosén – Bemidji State University
Max Sasson – Western Michigan University
Tommy Scarfone – Rochester Institute of Technology
Ian Shane – Cornell University
Neil Shea – Sacred Heart University
David Silye – Minnesota State University, Mankato
Liam Souliere – Pennsylvania State University
Ben Steeves – University of Minnesota Duluth
Robert Mastrosimone – Arizona State University
Austen Swankler – Bowling Green State University
TJ Semptimphelter – Arizona State University
Ryan Tverberg – University of Connecticut
AJ Vanderbeck – Northern Michigan University
Chad Veltri – Niagara University
Anthony Vincent – Long Island University
Kevin Wall – Pennsylvania State University
Pito Walton – Princeton University
Carter Wilkie – Rochester Institute of Technology
Jake Wise – Ohio State University
Alex Young – Colgate University
Will Zmolek – Bemidji State University

written by

Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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