Montreal Canadiens prospect Jake Evans is among the 74 nominees for the Hobey Baker Award as his senior year at the University of Notre Dame continues.
The Hobey Baker Award is given to the NCAA’s top men’s hockey player of the year. Several who have been honoured with the award have gone off to have success in the NHL, and the Montreal Canadiens may have one of their own take the prize.
Most recent examples are Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, and Jimmy Vesey who won in 2014, 15, and 16 respectively. Additionally, Will Butcher, who was named top player last season, is having a great start to his career with the New Jersey Devils.
The nominees for the 2018 winner are out, and Habs prospect Jake Evans is among the 74 players hoping to win. The 21-year-old has been among the top point getters in college hockey and currently has seven goals and 21 assists in 22 games.
It’s not just offensive numbers that voters take into consideration as both Vesey and Butcher won without leading all players in that category. They also focus on their character on and off the ice, sportsmanship, and overall importance to their team.
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Evans has generated a lot of offence for Notre Dame this season and the fact that they’re undefeated within the Big 10 and 18-3-1 overall should speak volumes to the voters.
The nominee numbers will eventually be dropped to ten with the winner named in April. There isn’t a guarantee that Evans walks away from this year as the Hobey Baker winner, but it speaks volumes for the seventh round pick to be recognized.
There hasn’t been any reported talk between the Habs and Evans in terms of an entry-level contract, but hopefully, they make that a priority.
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