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Hobey Baker finalists include unsigned draftees Butcher, Kerfoot

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The list of 10 finalists for the 2017 Hobey Baker has been revealed and Bob McKenzie is in-studio to give NHL fans everything they need to know as college signing season gets underway.

The Hobey Baker Award, given to the top college hockey player, announced the 10 finalists for the 2017 award.

The list is headlined by the nation’s leading scorer and recent Pittsburgh Penguins signing Zach-Aston Reese, as well as unsigned draft picks Will Butcher of Denver and Alexander Kerfoot of Harvard.

Here is the complete list of the 10 finalists. The winner will be announced on April 7 in Chicago during the Frozen Four.


  • Zach Aston-Reese, Northeastern
  • Michael Bitzer, Bemidji State
  • Anders Bjork, Notre Dame
  • Will Butcher, Denver
  • Spencer Foo, Union
  • Tyler Kelleher, New Hampshire
  • Alexander Kerfoot, Harvard
  • Tyler Sheehy, Minnesota
  • Mike Vecchione, Union
  • Charles Williams, Canisius

Some of the notable names on the list with NHL ties include Aston-Reese, who is coming off of a monster year at Northeastern that saw him record 63 points in 38 games, just signed a two-year entry level contract with the Penguins on Monday.

Kerfoot, a four-year player at Harvard, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Devils in 2012 that did not sign with the team.

Butcher, a smaller, puck-moving defenseman that has put up some big numbers at Denver, was selected in the fifth-round by the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, but team has shown little interest in signing him in the past.

Bjork, having just wrapped up his junior year at Notre Dame, was drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round of the 2014 draft and led the team in goals and points.

The past three winners of the award are Jimmy Vesey, Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau, all of whom have gone on to find immediate success in the NHL.