Kuffner and Veronneau Nominated for Hobey Baker Award

Princeton seniors Ryan Kuffner and Max Véronneau have both been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, it was announced earlier this week.

The award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

College hockey fans have the opportunity to weigh in, as the fan voting period is open now through Sunday, March 19. You can VOTE HERE.

A Top 10 list will be announced on March 20. Voting in that next round will be held March 20-31.

The Hobey Hat Trick will then be announced on April 4, and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award will be presented to the winner on April 12, 2019, during the NCAA Frozen Four Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

Both Kuffner and Véronneau were second-team All-America selections for the ECAC Hockey champion Princeton last year. The pair continue to rewrite the Princeton record book on a weekly basis as they climb the all-time scoring charts and sit among the top scoring players in the country for the second straight season.

Kuffner is currently fourth in the nation in points per game – averaging 1.37 with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 19 games. He is also fourth in the nation in goals per game. Kuffner had a 52-point season a year ago, when he was fifth in the nation in scoring with 1.44 points per game. He was second in the nation in goals with 29 scores in 36 games.

At Princeton, Kuffner is in fourth place with 134 career points on 66 goals and 68 assists. He is one goal away from tying the Princeton record for goals in a career, a record that has stood for 56 seasons. He is also eighth all time at Princeton in assists.

At the halfway point of the season Véronneau is ninth in the nation in points per game – averaging 1.26 with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 19 games. He is also fifth in the nation in assists per game – a category he was first in last season with 38. A finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, Véronneau was also the ECAC Hockey Player of the Month in December. He led the nation in points during the month of December, with 11 in six games.

With 1.54 points per game last season, he was second in the nation in scoring. Véronneau is sixth on the all-time scoring list with 131 points on 46 goals and 85 assists. He is third at Princeton in assists in a career, just two away from second place. Last year he set the single-season record for points with 55, surpassing the record that stood since 1959-60 season. He became the first player to set a school record in single-season points since Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) in 2002-03 for a college program that has had hockey for more than 25 years.

When looking at the pair as a scoring tandem – they are unmatched.

Of Kuffner's 66 career goals – 64 percent have been assisted by Véronneau (42). The pair help Princeton sit first in the nation in senior class scoring – as the only senior class averaging more than four points per game in Division I at 4.21 ppg.

About the Hobey Baker Award
Award criteria include candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award's namesake, Hobey Baker. A legendary American hero, Baker was a World War I fighter pilot and was known as America's greatest amateur athlete in his day, excelling at hockey and football at Princeton University. Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results