Plante wins Hobey Baker Award as top NCAA men's hockey player

Max Plante, a Detroit Red Wings forward prospect, won the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Friday.

The 20-year-old Minnesota Duluth sophomore was voted the top men's player in NCAA ice hockey ahead of two other finalists, Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, a San Jose Sharks prospect, and Michigan forward T.J. Hughes, an undrafted free agent.

“It was really a lot like the draft,” Plante said. “You can’t even really believe it. It feels like a dream, but it is your name. When your name is called, you have to stand up, and it was really super special to look around and see my family, and they’re all right there. It was really cool.”

Plante is Minnesota Duluth's seventh Hobey Baker winner and first since defenseman Scott Perunovich in 2020. Since the Hobey Baker Award was introduced in 1980-81, no NCAA school has had more winners than the Bulldogs.

“Duluth has a lot of history with the Hobey Baker,” Plante said.

A second-round pick (No. 47) in the 2024 NHL Draft, Plante led his team with 25 goals and 52 points, the most by a Minnesota Duluth player since 2011-12. He's one of 28 players with at least 51 points in the 82-year history of the program.

Plante is tied for second among NCAA players in goals and is third in points in 40 games, and became the school's first National Collegiate Hockey Conference Forward of the Year. He was also named an All-NCHC First Team selection.

He also is tied for third in the NCAA in game-winning goals (six) and tied for eighth in power-play goals (eight) and is eighth in points per game (1.30).

Plante had at least a point in 29 games this season and ended the season with seven points (three goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak, including an assist in a 4-3 loss to Michigan in the Albany Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament on March 29.

“I, obviously, had a great year, but a lot of props to my linemates,” Plante said. “They made a bunch of plays for me, and I was the beneficiary of it.”

His older brother, Zam Plante, 21, is a Minnesota Duluth teammate who was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round (No. 150) of the 2022 NHL Draft. Their younger brother, Victor Plante, who plays for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 Team, is No. 36 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters for the 2026 NHL Draft and committed to play at Minnesota Duluth next season. Their father, Derek Plante, played 450 NHL games from 1993-2001, is a professional scout for the Ottawa Senators, and was a Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist as a senior at Minnesota Duluth in 1992-93.

Max plans to return to Minnesota Duluth to play alongside his brothers, putting off his professional career for at least one more season.

“That was a huge motivator,” Max said. “Just the fact to have a chance to play with two brothers at that high of a level, and to try and achieve something that I haven’t achieved yet, a national championship.”

Max Plante and Derek Plante are the second father-son duo to be named Hobey Baker finalists. Jason Blake (1999) and son Jackson Blake (2024) were finalists when each played at the University of North Dakota.

"Max would probably be the first one to deflect (winning the Hobey Baker) and say he's been around good teammates and players that have helped him get there," Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin said. "That's just the kind of person he is. Obviously we're really excited for him."

Hughes, a 24-year-old senior and Michigan's captain, is second in the NCAA with 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games. He was held off the score sheet eight times this season and had 18 multipoint games. He won the Big Ten Player of the Year award. It was the second straight season he led the Wolverines in scoring.

Pohlkamp leads NCAA defensemen with 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) and 188 shots on goal in 42 games. The 22-year-old junior, who played one season at Bemidji State University before transferring to Denver for the 2024-25 season, was selected by the Sharks in the fifth round (No. 132) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

“(Max is) a heck of a player to play against,” Pohlkamp said. “I’m just super fortunate to be in the top three and be in this event.”

Denver will play Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament championship game Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET;  ESPN2, ESPN+).

“This is the main reason why I came to Denver, to win a national championship,” Pohlkamp said. “Luckily enough, we get a chance to do that (Saturday). It’s going to be a loud atmosphere. I’m really looking forward to it.”