Michigan State’s Isaac Howard has won college hockey’s most prestigious award.
Howard won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey, on Friday evening in St. Louis, the site of this year’s Frozen Four.
Howard edged Boston College forward Ryan Leonard and Denver defenseman Zeev Buium for the honor.
Howard finished with 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games for the Spartans, winning the Big Ten Player of the Year Award and helping MSU capture its second straight Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.
Leonard, who turned pro after the season and is now with the Washington Capitals, led the NCAA with 30 goals and 19 assists for Boston College in his sophomore season. Buium had 13 goals and 35 assists for the Pioneers in 41 games.
Howard is the first Spartan to win the Hobey Baker Award since goaltender Ryan Miller in 2001.
MSU goaltender Trey Augustine was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the top goaltender in college hockey, along with Boston College’s Jacob Fowler, Maine’s Albin Boija, and Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy. Fowler won the award after posting a 1.62 goals-against average this season.
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Howard and Augustine both earned West First Team All-American honors, while MSU junior defenseman Matt Basgall was named a West Second Team All-American, selected by the American Hockey Coaches Association. It’s the first time since 1999 MSU has had two First Team All-American selections.
Michigan graduate defenseman Jacob Truscott won the Derek Hines Award, given to college hockey’s unsung hero. The award is named in honor of Hines, a four-year hockey player at Army who served as an Army ranger in Afghanistan and lost his life serving in 2005.
Howard and Augustine will both return to the Spartans next season, opting to play one more collegiate season rather than turning professional with the NHL clubs that drafted them. Howard, who couldn’t come to terms with the Tampa Bay Lightning, could become a free agent if not signed before August 2026.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
