DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin was happy to get a question
midway through his press conference last week
about sophomore wing Jayson Shaugabay.
At the same time, he also came off a tad annoyed the nation’s leader in assists had not been much of a topic in recent weeks.
“It’s nice someone finally recognizes what he’s been doing,” Sandelin said.
Shaugabay,
a 2023 fourth-round NHL draft pick
of the Tampa Bay Lightning out of Warroad, has an NCAA-best 26 assists going into the Bulldogs’ NCHC series this weekend at Denver, and is the only player in the country averaging one assist or more per game this season.
He’s tied for fourth in the NCAA in points with 35, along with linemate sophomore center Zam Plante of Hermantown, and Arizona State’s Cruz Lucius.
“He’s played great for us,” Sandelin said, even before Shaugabay picked up two goals and an assist in last weekend’s series against Western Michigan. “He doesn’t maybe get all the accolades, but he’s an elite player. He’s an elite offensive mind. He has had a tremendous year. He’s been very consistent. He’s doing what he’s great at. He thinks the game a step ahead.
“I don’t want to even say ‘quietly’ … he’s just been good. He’s been good every game, every weekend.”
Shaugabay has added 10 assists in the Bulldogs’ first six games of 2026, but is also finding the back of the net himself.
Four of his nine total goals this season have come since the calendar flipped to January, and he has goals in four of UMD’s first six games of the new year. He’s scored in three of the team’s first four NCHC games of 2026.
Despite those number, you won’t find Shaugabay among the 88 names
who are eligible for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award fan vote.
Teams are limited to submitting a maximum of three names for the contest, and the Bulldogs have a glut of stars this season.
Those stars include the NCAA’s leader in points and co-leader in goals, Shaugabay’s linemate sophomore wing Max Plante of Hermantown. He was nominated along with older brother Zam Plante and another Hermantown native, sophomore defenseman Ty Hanson, who is second in scoring among NCAA defensemen this season.
Minnesota Duluth forward Jayson Shaugabay (17) shoots the puck against Lindenwood goaltender Liam Beerman (35) on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
Shaugabay —
who doesn’t need to be in the fan vote to get nominated down the road for the Hobey
— said he doesn’t mind being left out of the fan vote. He’s fine letting his linemates and teammates take the spotlight.
He was especially happy
as he remember him being one of the better Pee Wee defensemen in the state, way back when.
“We have some elite players on this team and I’m super happy for them,” Shaugabay said. “To see those guys get the recognition, they deserve it.”
Warroad forward Jayson Shaugabay (17) skates against Nolan Udd (6) of Duluth Denfeld at the Essentia Duluth Heritage Center on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
“Magical” is the word many of Shaugabay’s teammates use to describe him, and that goes
back to his days at Warroad High School.
Sophomore wing Harper Bentz, of Moorhead, was a Mariucci Conference rival of Shaugabay’s. He recalls Shaugabay’s stickhandling abilities from those games between the Spuds and Warriors.
“He sees the ice so well,” Bentz said of Shaugabay, who was Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey in 2023 after totaling a combined 178 points as a junior and senior. “Even back in high school, you could just tell he was a step above everybody. Even now, too, you can see stuff you saw in high school out on the ice.”
Zam Plante remembers Shaugabay doing a forehanded lacrosse-style goal often called a ‘Michigan’ during a Bantam elite league game when they were growing up, and during the 2022 Minnesota Class A state championship game between Warroad and Hermantown, the Hawks were double- and triple-teaming Shaugabay “at all times because he is going to do something magical.”
Minnesota Duluth forward Harper Bentz (15) celebrates with Minnesota Duluth forward Jayson Shaugabay (13) after Shaugabay scores a goal against St. Cloud State on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
Shaugabay’s vision, hands and skating have always separated him from others, and it continues to, Zam Plante said.
“He sees the ice differently than all the guys. I remember last year Sandy was getting on him a couple times for his forecheck,” Zam Plante said. “He’d stand at the blue line and the guy would pass it right to him. He’s just smart enough to be in the right spot all the time.”
Sandelin said last week that his top line of Shaugabay and the Plante brothers do sometimes make plays that frustrate them, but all three think the game differently than most, even the coach.
Minnesota Duluth forward Jayson Shaugabay (17) celebrates a first-period goal against Lindenwood with teammates on Saturday, Jan. 10 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
Meanwhile, Shaugabay said this week forechecking was an area he needed to improve upon after posting 12 goals and 14 assists during his freshman season, and he feels he has as a sophomore.
Shaugabay wants to be a better player defensively, and he wants to use his stick skills to force turnovers, in addition to setting up and scoring goals.
“I’m not the fastest guy, but I think I can turn over a lot of pucks with my stick and all those types of things. I’ve been doing that a lot more and that’s when I’m playing my best,” said Shaugabay, who went from averaging 16:03 time on ice last season to 19:18 this year. He’s plus-13, instead of minus-3, as well.
“I want to get better every day in every area,” he said. “I think I can be better with the puck. I can be better away from the puck. I can steal more pucks. I can become a much better skater. Work on the things I’m good at and get better at the things I’m not good at.”
Minnesota Duluth sophomore defenseman Aaron Pionk loses his stick skating past Denver junior wing Rieger Lorenz during the second period on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Contributed / UMD Athletics
Denver is second in the NCHC, but on the NCAA tournament bubble at No. 13 in the NCAA Percentage Index following a 2-5-1 start to 2026, including a 2-4 record in NCHC play.
UMD is fourth in the NCHC, but No. 6 in the NPI —
the system used to select at-large teams and seed the NCAA tournament
— after going 3-3 to start 2026, and 1-3 in the NCHC.
“Against this team, you have to play a real simple game, direct game,” Sandelin said. “You have to take care of pucks. You got to win the special teams game. Faceoffs, we need to be better.”
Minnesota Duluth defenseman Ty Hanson (2) skates with the puck against Lindenwood on Friday, Jan. 9 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
This weekend’s games at 8 p.m. CST Friday and 7 p.m. CST Saturday at the University of Denver’s Magness Arena feature the two highest scoring defensemen in the NCAA: UMD’s Hanson and Denver junior Eric Pohlkamp.
Hanson briefly led all NCAA defensemen in scoring with 26 points off seven goals and 19 assists before Pohlkamp — who transferred to Denver after an All-CCHA first-team freshman season at Bemidji State — scored two goals last Saturday against St. Cloud State to get to 27 points.
Pohlkamp’s 16 goals is a record for an NCHC defenseman, and the NCAA’s leader in shots on goal (125) is trying to become the first NCAA defenseman to reach 20 goals since Colorado College’s Tom Preissing scored 23 in 2002-03.
Sandelin said you can argue who is the best defenseman in the country, but Pohlkamp is “really good.”
“He’s a guy that can dominate and control the game,” Sandelin said. “You notice him every time.”