Johnny Gaudreau wins Hobey Baker Award as top U.S. college hockey player
Forward passed up senior year for NHL deal
Boston College forward Johnny Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award on Friday night as the top Division I college hockey player, and signed with the Calgary Flames.
Gaudreau, from Carney's Point, N.J., won the award a day after Boston College lost to Union in the NCAA semifinals. He passed up with senior season to sign with Calgary.
The Flames also signed Gaudreau's teammate Bill Arnold, who just completed his senior year.
“We are excited to welcome both Bill Arnold and Johnny Gaudreau to professional hockey after reaching agreements today on entry level contracts with the Calgary Flames,” said Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke in a statement. “Bill is a solid two-way player with good offensive instincts combined with power and grit. Congratulations to Johnny on capping off an amazing college season with the Hobey Baker Award, a very well deserved achievement.
"Johnny is a gifted player with high end skill and smarts. We look forward to having both players, as they take the next step forward in contributing to the success of the Calgary Flames.”
The five-foot-seven, 150-pound Gaudreau led the nation with 36 goals and 44 assists. He's the first player to reach 80 points since Colorado College's Peter Sejna had 82 in 2002-03.
St. Lawrence's Greg Carey and St. Cloud State's Nic Dowd were the other finalists.
Union will play Minnesota in the championship game Saturday night.
Arnold, from Needham, Mass, had 14 goals and 39 assists this season. The 39 helpers ranked second in the NCAA and he tied for fifth in points (53) while setting a career high in each category.
Arnold averaged .91 points per game during his college career, finishing with 58 goals and 86 assists for 144 points and 175 penalty minutes in 159 career games while helping the Eagles capture the NCAA championship in 2012.