Buium, Fink among those to watch at Frozen Four

The NCAA season reaches the finish line this week with the Frozen Four and the awarding of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award to the best player in the men’s game.

The NCAA Tournament semifinals will be played at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missour, on Thursday. The University of Denver, the defending national champion, plays Western Michigan University (5 p.m. ET; ESPN2), and Boston University faces Penn State University (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2).

The winners will meet in the championship game Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2).

Denver has won a record 10 NCAA titles. Boston University has won five. It’s the first trip to the Frozen Four for Western Michigan and Penn State.

The four schools have a total of 38 NHL draft picks, including three first-rounders, playing in the tournament.

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award will be presented Friday (6 p.m. ET; NHL Network).

Only one of the three Hobey Hat Trick finalists, Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, will play in the Frozen Four. The others are Boston College’s Ryan Leonard, now playing for the Washington Capitals, and Isaac Howard of Michigan State University.

Here are a goalie, a defenseman and a forward to watch on each of the Frozen Four teams.

Boston University (23-13-2)

Mikhail Yegorov, G (New Jersey Devils)

The 19-year-old has been a difference-maker since enrolling in January after spending the first half of the season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.

An imposing presence at 6-foot-5, he stopped 37 of 39 shots in the overtime win against Cornell University to send Boston University to the Frozen Four.

Yegorov, who is from St. Petersburg, Russia, has posted a record of 10-5-1 with a .931 save percentage, a 2.04 goals-against average and one shutout.

The Devils selected him in the second round (No. 49) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Tom Willander, D (Vancouver Canucks)

The 20-year-old is a steady defender who is solid at each end of the ice.

A sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, he has 23 points (two goals, 21 assists) and a plus-19 rating in 37 games.

The Canucks selected him in the first round (No. 11) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Cole Eiserman, F (New York Islanders)

The 18-year-old freshman from Newburyport, Massachusetts, is one of the most dangerous shooters in college hockey.

He has scored seven goals in his past six games, including two against Ohio State University at the regional in Toledo on March 27.

Eiserman has 34 points (23 goals, 11 assists) and a 22.8 shooting percentage in 37 games. He is tied with Quinn Hutson for the most goals on the team.

The Islanders selected Eiserman in the first round (No. 20) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Denver University (31-11-1)

Matt Davis, G

The 23-year-old senior from Calgary stopped 35 of 36 shots in a brilliant 3-1 win against Boston College at the regional in New Hampshire on March 30.

He also stopped 35 shots in a 2-0 win against Boston College in the national championship game a year ago.

His career record is 63-16-4. This season he is 29-9-1 with a .923 save percentage, a 2.07 GAA and one shutout.

Never drafted, Davis attended development camp with the Colorado Avalanche as an invitee last July.

Zeev Buium, D (Minnesota Wild)

The 19-year-old is an offensive force who leads all NCAA defensemen with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games.

One of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, he had a total of five points (two goals, three assists) in Denver’s wins against Providence College and Boston College in the Manchester Regional.

Buium, who is from San Diego, California, was selected in the first round (No. 12) by the Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Jack Devine, F (Florida Panthers)

The 21-year-old leads the NCAA in scoring with 57 points (13 goals, 44 assists) in 43 games

He was a Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist.

Devine, from Glencoe, Illinois, was selected in the seventh round (No. 221) by the Panthers in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Penn State University (22-13-4)

Arsenii Sergeev, G (Calgary Flames)

The 22-year-old junior transferred to Penn State after two seasons at the University of Connecticut. He made 42 saves in an overtime win against his former school in the final of the Allentown Regional.

From Yaroslavl, Russia, Sergeev has a record of 19-8-4 with a .918 save percentage, a 2.56 GAA and four shutouts.

He was selected by the Flames in the seventh round (No. 205) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Simon Mack, D

The 24-year-old senior from Brockville, Ontario, earned Big 10 All-Second Team honors this season.

He has 29 points (three goals, 26 assists) and a team-best plus-23 rating in 39 games. He averages a team-high 24:23 in ice time per game.

He has not been drafted by a NHL team and will be a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

Aiden Fink, F (Nashville Predators)

The 20-year-old was a Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist.

A sophomore, he is fourth in the NCAA in scoring with 53 points (23 goals, 30 assists) in 39 games.

The Calgary native was selected in the seventh round (No. 218) of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Predators.

Western Michigan University (32-7-1)

Hampton Slukynsky, G (Los Angeles Kings)

The 19-year-old freshman has won his past eight starts and is 12-0-1 in his past 13.

For the season, he has a record of 17-5-1 with a .923 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA with one shutout.

From Warroad, Minnesota, he was selected in the fourth round (No. 118) by the Kings in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Samuel Sjolund, D (Dallas Stars)

The 23-year-old junior from Stockholm, Sweden leads his team in time on ice with 21:46 per game.

He has 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) in 40 games.

The Stars selected him in the fourth round (No. 111) of the 2019 NHL Draft.

Alex Bump, F (Philadelphia Flyers)

The 21-year-old sophomore is a gifted scorer who was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference Forward of the Year.

From Prior Lake, Minnesota, he leads his team with 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games. His 236 shots are the most in the NCAA.

The Flyers selected him in the fifth round (No. 133) of the 2022 NHL Draft.