University of Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante was named the 2026 Hobey Baker Award winner on Friday.
Plante beat out University of Denver defenceman Eric Pohlkamp and University of Michigan forward T.J. Hughes for the honours.
He becomes the sixth player in Hobey Baker history to win the award in his sophomore season.
The 5-foot-11 centre led Minnesota Duluth in scoring this season with 25 goals and 52 points in 40 games to finish third in the NCAA.
Plante also is expected to return to Minnesota Duluth for his junior season, becoming the first player to return to his program after winning since Ryan Duncan in 2007.
He helped his school to a 23-14-1 record as Minnesota Duluth entered the men’s Division I Hockey tournament as the No. 6 seed.
Minnesota Duluth was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Michigan 4-3, despite a desperate comeback attempt by Minnesota Duluth that saw them score three times in the third period.
Plante, 20, was drafted 47th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2024 and has 34 goals and 80 points in his 63 NCAA-game career.
The Hermantown, Minn., native represented the United States twice at the World Juniors, taking home a gold medal in 2025 and finished fifth in 2026.
Denver will take on Wisconsin in the Frozen Four final on Saturday to decide the 2026 national championship. Fans can watch the action LIVE at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT on TSN2, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
