Peters: Dryden McKay wins Hobey Baker, Devon Levi takes home Richter

Minnesota State senior goaltender Dryden McKay was named the winner of the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Friday night in a ceremony to announce college hockey’s most outstanding player. McKay beat out fellow Hobey Hat Trick finalists Bobby Brink from the University of Denver and University of Minnesota forward Ben Meyers. He also became just the third goaltender to win the Hobey Baker in its 42-year history and first since Ryan Miller won it in 2001.

McKay, in his fourth season as a starter for the Mavericks, posted a .934 save percentage and 10 shutouts, while winning 38 of 42 starts this season. He and Minnesota State will compete for the school’s first Division I men’s hockey title Saturday in Boston against Denver.

The Downers Grove, Ill., native who was named for Montreal Canadiens great Ken Dryden, has put together one of the best careers in the history of college hockey. His 113 wins and 34 career shutouts are both NCAA records. The shutouts record was previously held by former NHLer Ryan Miller who had 26 shutouts at Michigan State.

While McKay’s career has been among the best of all time, he has never won the Mike Richter Award, annually handed out to the national goaltender of the year. The same can be said for this year. Buffalo Sabres prospect and Northeastern goalie Devon Levi put together one of the best individual seasons by a goaltender in NCAA history. He finished with a .952 save percentage, 1.54 goals-against average and 10 shutouts while winning 21 of 32 appearances this season. Levi was named the Mike Richter Award Winner about an hour before McKay claimed the Hobey Baker.

Each award has separate selection committees, but makes it no less awkward when the NCAA’s top player did not win the award dedicated to his position. It has been near impossible for goalies to win the Hobey Baker, which is one of the reasons the Mike Richter Award was created. That award has only existed since 2013-14 when current Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck became the inaugural winner. That Levi was not in the Hobey Hat Trick based on his near-historic numbers was a source of controversy when it was announced last week.

The Hobey Baker committee has often been preferential to juniors and seniors unless underclassmen had a particularly exceptional season like sophomore Cole Caufield last year or Jack Eichel in his freshman year in 2014-15. There’s an argument to be made that Levi, who is a sophomore but did not play in any games as a freshman due to an injury sustained at the World Junior Championship last season, had such a season, but the committee apparently thought otherwise.

This was easily the most wide-open Hobey Baker race in recent memory, which certainly complicated the decision process. This selection will certainly go down as the most controversial since Jimmy Vesey beat out Kyle Connor in 2016 despite Connor outscoring Vesey by 25 points that season. That was another situation where a senior beat out a first-year player.

The Hobey Baker award does take into consideration more elements than on-ice performance. Academics and “strength of character” are also significant components of the selection process, which gives some additional wiggle room in how they make their final decision but can muddy the waters a bit for the public that may not be as aware of those other facets.

McKay’s career has unquestionably been one of the best in college hockey history and if the Hobey Baker was a career achievement award, he’d be a unanimous selection. As it is an annual award and as the threshold for goaltenders has been so much higher in previous years, McKay’s win is certainly a surprise.

Regardless of any controversy, McKay has always let his play do the talking and can get the trophy he covets most, while putting the sweetest cherry on top of a sensational career if he can backstop Minnesota State to the national title Saturday.

In addition to the Hobey Baker Award, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced the All-American selections for the 2021-22 season Friday. In men’s college hockey, All-Americans are split off by region. Here they are, along with NHL affiliations of each selection.

First Team All-America (West)

Dryden McKay, G, Minnesota State
Ronnie Attard, D, Western Michigan (PHI)
Jake Sanderson, D, North Dakota (OTT)
Matty Beniers, F, Michigan (SEA)
Bobby Brink, F, Denver (PHI)
Nathan Smith, F, Minnesota State (ARI)

First Team All-America (East)

Devon Levi, G, Northeastern (BUF)
Zach Metsa, D, Quinnipiac
Scott Morrow, D, UMass (CAR)
Nick Abruzzese, F, Harvard (TOR)
Aidan McDonough, F, Northeastern (VAN)
Bobby Trivigno, F, UMass (NYR)

Second Team All-America (East)

Yaniv Perets, G, Quinnipiac
Jordan Harris, D, Northeastern (MTL)
Henry Thrun, D, Harvard (ANA)
Colin Bilek, F, Army West Point
Jack McBain, F, Boston College (ARI)
Ryan Tverberg, F, UConn (TOR)

Second Team All-America (West)

Ryan Fanti, G, Minnesota Duluth (EDM)
Luke Hughes, D, Michigan (NJD)
Owen Power, D, Michigan (BUF)
Ethen Frank, F, Western Michigan
Brian Halonen, F, Michigan Tech (NJD)
Ben Meyers, F, Minnesota