by Ross Waataja/CHN Reporter
With most teams on a break until at least after Christmas, now feels like a good time to check on the race for college hockey’s top award.
Before jumping in, though, let’s get a quick refresher on our in-house Hobey Tracker, which debuted last year. It’s driven by CHIP (College Hockey Individual Point value), which is CHN’s all-in “player value” stat for the current season (think WAR in baseball): it blends boxscore production with inputs like time on ice, shot location data, and strength of schedule, with some position-specific tweaks (defensemen get weighted differently in certain areas, and shot-location is currently factored in for goalies).
The exact formula weights are proprietary, but the intent is to capture how much a player matters to their team, not just how many points they have. You can read more about CHIP and see the full rankings here.
All right, on to the contenders.
The Hermantown Hawks … err … Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Half of the top six players in CHIP play on the same team, and also happened to play for the same high school team. The 2021-22 Hermantown Hawks won the Minnesota Class A championship, and for good reason. The Hawks were led by brothers Zam and Max Plante and defenseman Ty Hanson. That same trio is now leading the Bulldogs to a bounceback season, carrying UMD to a 14-win first half, surpassing the full-season win totals of each of the past two seasons.
Max Plante (Rk. 1, 62.78 CHIP) has been leading the race for much of the season. Sixteen goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 20 games is good enough to lead the country in points and third in goals. Elite production with a plus-16, and 20:40 TOI/G: that’s star production and star usage, which is usually how these races are won.
Not far behind are Zam (Rk. 3, 58.08 CHIP) and Hanson (Rk. 6, 49.74 CHIP). Zam Plante has been humming along at 7-18–25 in 20 games, with 64 shots, plus-12, and 22:18 TOI/G. Hanson has been the engine of the blue line for the Bulldogs, posting a 6-14–20 in 20 games, with 63 shots, a plus-14, and a hulking 24:32 TOI/G. When a defenseman is playing that much and still driving offense, CHIP tends to reward you.
Cole Hutson, Boston University
In Boston, the Hutson legacy continues to thrive. Sophomore defenseman Cole Hutson (Rk. 2, 59.21 CHIP) is making a strong case to follow in his brother Lane’s footsteps as a Hobey finalist. He has been a relentless engine from the back end, posting 7 goals and 13 assists for 20 points while posting over 26 minutes on ice per night. His influence on the game flow night in and night out is undeniable.
Bennett Schimek, Arizona State
Quietly putting together a monster season in the desert is Arizona State junior Bennett Schimek (Rk. 4, 54.87 CHIP). In his second year with the Sun Devils, after transferring from Providence, Schimek has taken another step. He has racked up 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points in the first half of the season, serving as the offensive catalyst for an ASU program looking to scrap back into tournament consideration in the second half.
Eric Pohlkamp, Denver
Since transferring to Denver, Eric Pohlkamp (Rk. 5, 51.28 CHIP) has evolved into one of the most dangerous goal-scoring defensemen in the country. The junior blue-liner carries an eye-popping stat line that is jarring for a defenseman. His 12 goals lead the country among defensemen, and his 20 points are tied for second. Pohlkamp’s knack for finding the net — highlighted by a hat trick earlier this season — makes him a unique weapon for the Pioneers and a legitimate threat to steal votes if his goal-scoring pace continues.
T.J. Hughes, Michigan
Veteran leadership paired with Michigan’s typical production from underclassmen has been the difference for the Wolverines this year, and T.J. Hughes (Rk. 7, 47.26 CHIP) is delivering a career-best campaign. The senior forward is currently leading the country in assists (19) and is tied with teammates Will Horcoff and Michael Hage for second in points (9-19–28). Hughes has been a steady hand for the Wolverines, driving a high-octane offense that has Michigan eying a 10th national championship. Horcoff just misses the cut according to our formula, despite leading the nation in goals. That’s due to many factors, some of which being his high proportion of power-play goals, relatively lower ice time and plus-minus, and so on. That said, he’s right there, and certainly some of our weighting factors are subjective, and still being evaluated.
Richter Watch
The race for the Mike Richter Award is also worth a quick check-in.
Northeastern junior Lawton Zacher (Rk. 8, 45.54) has been a wall, posting a 1.92 GAA and .936 save percentage over 13 games, anchoring the Huskies in the middle of a tense race in Hockey East.
Meanwhile, Connecticut senior Tyler Muszelik (Rk. 9, 45.52 CHIP) has revitalized his career in Storrs. Through 15 games, he boasts a 2.10 GAA and a .931 save percentage with a 9-3-3 record, giving the Huskies a chance to win every single night.
Finally, Michigan State junior Trey Augustine (Rk. 10, 44.14 CHIP) continues to be the gold standard in the Big Ten. Augustine has been dominant with a 1.71 GAA and .937 save percentage in 14 starts, putting up a 10-4-0 record that keeps the Spartans firmly in the national title conversation. The race for the Richter is going to be fun to watch as a flurry of netminders, like Augustana’s Josh Kotai and Michigan’s Jack Ivankovic, try to make a push toward the current leaders.