CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Canisius junior forward Dylan McLaughlin has been named a top-10 finalist for the 2018 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, it was announced on Wednesday.
McLaughlin joins former teammate Charles Williams as the second Golden Griffin player in as many seasons to be named a finalist for college hockey’s most prestigious award. In addition, the Lancaster, N.Y., native is just the fourth player to hail from the greater Buffalo area to be named a finalist in the award’s 38-year existence.
The 10 finalists were selected by voting from all 60 Division I college hockey head coaches and by online fan balloting at www.hobeybakeraward.com. Next, the 27-member Selection Committee and an additional round of fan balloting (at www.hobeybakeraward.com from March 16-26) will determine this year’s Hobey Baker winner.
Criteria for the award include: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
McLaughlin has been one of college hockey’s top offensive threats during the 2017-18 season, ranking among the top-10 players nationally in total assists (31/T-6th) and points (48/T-6th) as well as assists (0.86/T-6th) and points (1.33/7th) per game. He recorded multiple points on 15 occasions, leading the team to an 11-3-1 record in those games.
An Atlantic Hockey First Team selection, McLaughlin led the league in scoring during the regular season in both points (38) and assists (25). The Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month for October found his way onto the scoresheet in 21 of 28 league games played and finished with two or more points on 12 occasions. McLaughlin also finished tied for third in the league with a plus/minus rating of +12.
McLaughlin heads into championship weekend ranked second on the program’s single-season chart for points (48) and assists (31) during the Division I era. He also became just the 12th player in the Division I era of the program to reach the 100-point plateau for his career and only the third to do so during his junior campaign with an assist at Air Force on Feb. 17.
The Hobey Hat Trick, consisting of three finalists, will be announced on March 30, 2018. The Hobey Baker Award winner will be revealed April 6 from Minneapolis, Minn., during the NCAA Frozen Four.
The No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, Canisius (19-16-2) faces fifth-seeded Air Force in the second semifinal contest at 8 p.m. Friday at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.