SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks prospect defenseman Eric Pohlkamp has been named one of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, the top individual honor in U.S. college hockey.
The 22-year-old Pohlkamp, a junior for Frozen Four-bound Denver University, is the NCAA’s top scoring defenseman this season with 18 goals and 21 assists in 41 games for the Pioneers.
The other two finalists for the award are Minnesota-Duluth forward Max Plante, a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2024, and TJ Hughes, an undrafted senior at Michigan.
The Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced on April 10 in Las Vegas, site of the Frozen Four.
Macklin Celebini won the Hobey Baker Award as a 17-year-old in 2024 after his freshman season at Boston University, more than two months before he was taken first overall by the Sharks at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas. Celebrini entered Thursday as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 105 points in 73 games.
Pohlkamp, who the Sharks selected in the fifth round in 2023, was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award on March 18. At the time, Pohlkamp led the nation with 185 shots and had been named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Offensive Defenseman of the Year.
Pohlkamp, listed at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, also led the Pioneers with 77 blocked shots.
The three finalists, known as the Hobey Baker Hat Trick, were selected by a 30-member selection committee. Criteria for the award include: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game; strength of character on and off the ice; sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
Denver advanced to the Frozen Four last week by beating Cornell 5-0 in the first round and top-seeded Western Michigan 6-2 in the regional final. Denver, led by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium, won the national championship in 2024 and advanced to the national semifinals last year.
Pohlkamp took over from Buium as the Pioneers’ leader on the blue line this season.
In December, Pohlkamp, a native of Baxter, Minnesota, played for the U.S. Selects team at the Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland. The team was made up of NCAA players.
Denver plays Michigan in the national semifinals on April 9, with the winner playing either Wisconsin or North Dakota in the final two days later.
Pohlkamp stood out during the Sharks’ development camp last summer, and said afterward that he wanted to begin his professional career after Denver’s season ended.
“That’s my goal,” Pohlkamp said in July. “You want to have a really good season next year, and I’m gonna fill Zeev Buium’s spot, so I’m gonna have some big shoes to fill. I’m super excited for the challenge, and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Sharks general manager Mike Grier was impressed by Pohlkamp during the camp,
“We’ve been around him a couple of years now,” Grier said. “He’s got a ton of energy and personality to him, and you can even see it on the ice. He’s taking charge of his team a little bit out there.”