It was a banner year for Michigan Wolverines center Adam Fantilli and he was rewarded for his efforts on Friday, when he was named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award, handed out annually to the top player in the NCAA. Golden Gophers forwards Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies were the other two finalists for the honor.
Fantilli’s freshman year in Ann Arbor was nothing short of dominant. The 18-year-old leads the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games and has collected at least one point in all but three of his appearances. That body of work also helped him take home National Rookie of the Year honors on Friday.
In addition to his efforts at Michigan, the young star has suited up at the World Juniors for Canada where he picked up five points in seven contests. He is viewed as the consensus second-best player for the NFL Draft.
As for Fantilli's competition for the Hobey Baker, Cooley was the third-overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes last summer and had a dominant freshman year, notching 22 goals and 38 assists in just 38 games for the University of Minnesota with one more contest to come in Saturday's championship game. That puts him second in college scoring this season behind only Fantilli.
Cooley also dominated at the World Juniors with seven goals and seven assists in just seven games. While that output had no bearing on the voting for this award, the Coyotes have to be thrilled with the progression of their top prospect. It’s possible that he’s a one-and-done player, with a decision on that front to come likely early next week.
Knies, a second-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2021, has been one of the more prominent power forwards at the NCAA level while often playing alongside Cooley on the Golden Gophers. The 20-year-old has 21 goals and 21 assists in 39 games this season, tied for 15th in NCAA scoring. He can add to those totals on Saturday against Quinnipiac.
It is widely expected that Knies will turn pro following Saturday’s championship game, with his entry-level deal likely to begin immediately. That will give Toronto a bit of extra depth heading into the first round against Tampa Bay when the NFL postseason gets underway.
Last year’s winner of the award was goaltender Dryden McKay. An undrafted free agent, McKay eventually signed a two-year AHL deal with Toronto. A full history of Hobey Baker Award winners can be found here.
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