Jackson Blake/UND Athletics
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (UND Athletics)– Sophomore forward Jackson Blake added another accolade to his running list, earning a spot on the 2024 Hobey Baker Award Top-10 Finalist list as announced by the award committee on Wednesday afternoon. The ten finalists were selected by voting from all 64 NCAA Division I college hockey head coaches plus online fan balloting.
Blake becomes the 27th North Dakota player to earn the distinction and first since Shane Pinto in 2020-21. The 27 top-10 selections are second in NCAA history behind only Boston College’s 28, who moved into first with two selections this year.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native has put together one of the best sophomore seasons in program history, climbing near the top of many national leaderboards. Blake’s 57 points this season are currently second in the nation and paces the NCHC, while his 36 assists are fourth nationally and best in the conference. The sophomore has also potted 21 goals, including five game winners, to lead the team, rank 13th in the NCAA and fifth in the league.
He became only the fifth player since 1989-90 at UND to record at least 40 points in each of his first two seasons and is just three points away from joining Brock Boeser (2015-16) as the only NoDak skaters to hit the 60-point mark during a single season in the last decade.
Blake has only gotten stronger as the year wore on, potting points in 19 of UND’s last 20 games since the calendar flipped to 2024 and has 31 points over his last 16 contests, including a current stretch of 18 in his last nine.
He was named a finalist for the NCHC Player of the Year as well as the conference’s forward of the year after setting the NCHC record with 37 points in 24 league games, both of which will be presented on Thursday evening. If he were to win the NCHC’s top player award, he would become only the second UND skater to earn the honor, joining Pinto in 2020-21.
For his career, the sophomore has 37 goals and 62 assists for 99 career points. He is looking to become only the second UND player in the last 30 years to hit the 100-point mark in just two seasons, joining Zach Parise in 2003-04.
The second phase of fan balloting will run March 20-31 with the top-10 candidates only. The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists will be announced Friday, April 4 at 11 a.m. (CT) and the winner announced on Friday, April 12 at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. in a nationally televised show on NHL Network.
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