Hobey Baker update: is Jack Connolly on his way to the award?

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With about 75 percent of the regular season complete, the race for college hockey’s Heisman is tightening up.

Some statistical leaders will be getting nods for the Hobey Baker award, but their team’s performances both late and throughout the season will have a major impact  in how far they advance in the running.

Offense:

1. Senior center Jack Connolly from Minnesota Duluth is third in scoring nationally and, almost equally important, plays for the third-ranked team in the nation.

Connolly has recorded 15 goals and 28 assists, adding up to 43 points, in 29 games played. One third of his goals thus far came on the powerplay.

2. T.J. Tynan, the impressive sophomore forward from ninth-ranked Notre Dame, has racked up 38 points on 12 goals and 26 assists to lead the team.

3. Maine’s Spencer Abbott has blistered the toughest conference in college hockey, racking up an astounding 49 points while playing in Hockey East. Abbott’s Black Bears are in the middle of the pack in the conference, and a late push could see his star rise.

Defense

1. Wisconsin’s junior defenseman Justin Schultz has put together a very solid resume for a guy working primarily from the blueline: a total of 38 points on 12 goals and 28 assists in 30 games.

The one component against him is that Wisconsin, a usually successful team in college hockey, sits outside the top 20.

2. Not one to be awed by the big stage, Denver’s freshman Joey LaLeggia has amassed 10 goals and 21 assists for a solid 31 points on the season.

With conference races gaining definition, some of these players might begin making their case for the hardware sooner rather than later.

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