Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals was named one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Thursday.
Minnesota Wild defenseman prospect Zeev Buium and Tampa Bay Lightning forward prospect Isaac Howard are also finalists.
The winner of the award, presented annually to the top NCAA men’s hockey player, will be announced at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis on April 11 (6 p.m. ET; NHLN), the day before the NCAA championship game is played at Enterprise Center.
Leonard, selected by the Capitals with the No. 8 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, had 49 points (30 goals, 19 assists) in 37 games as a sophomore at Boston College this season. The forward was the first NCAA player with back-to-back 30-goal seasons (he scored 31 in 2023-24) since Cam Atkinson with Boston College from 2009-11, and he was the first Eagles skater to be named Hockey East Player of the year since Johnny Gaudreau in 2014.
The 20-year-old also helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. The team captain, he was named the tournament’s most valuable player after he tied for second among all players with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in seven games.
He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals on Monday, and does not have a point in two games with them.
Buium leads NCAA defensemen with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists) in 40 games as a sophomore at the University of Denver, and his 35 assists are second among all players.
He’ll next play with Denver against Western Michigan in the first Frozen Four semifinal, at Enterprise Center on April 10 (5 p.m. ET; ESPN2). The second semifinal is that same day between Penn State and Boston University (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2).
Buium was selected by the Wild in the first round (No. 12) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old had six points (two goals, four assists), was plus-10 and led the U.S. with an average ice time of 25:13 in seven games at the World Juniors.
Howard led Michigan State and is fifth among NCAA players with 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 37 games and was named Big Ten Player of the Year this season. The 21-year-old junior more than tripled his total of eight goals in 36 games from last season and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Howard was selected by the Lightning in the first round (No. 31) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
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