Several names known to the Quebec public are on the prestigious list of 10 players in the running for the Hobey-Baker trophy, which rewards the hockey player par excellence on the university circuit in the United States. Lane Hutson and Sean Farrell, two Montreal Canadiens prospects, are part of this select group, as are goaltenders Yaniv Perets and Devon Levi, natives of Montreal.
Hutson, who plays with the Boston University Terriers, has been turning heads since the start of the season. In his first season in the NCAA, he outplayed all defensemen on the league, amassing 44 points in 34 games, a performance that ranked him sixth in all-point scoring in the nation. The Michigan native, who turned 19 last February, was drafted by the Canadiens at the end of the second round (62nd overall) last July. He quickly found his place among the organization’s most promising prospects.
Farrell has just completed his second season at Harvard University. His 51 points in 31 games ranked him second in the NCAA. Many observers expect the small 5’9″ forward to sign his first professional contract soon and join the Canadiens, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2020, or the Laval Rocket.
Perets and Levi, for their part, find themselves among the Hobey-Baker nominees for the second year in a row. The two childhood friends played their minor hockey with the Lac-Saint-Louis Lions.
With Quinnipiac University, Perets went 30-3-3. The 23-year-old goaltender was not drafted by an NHL team.
Levi, 21, defends the net for Northeastern University and is linked to the Buffalo Sabres, a team he could sign his first professional contract with once his college season is over. He went 17-12-5 and maintained a .933 save percentage.
