NCAA hockey award season rolls on and Wednesday saw the announcement of the initial 88 nominees representing 49 programs for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award. Two Sun Devils made the list for the 2025-26 season, the 5th straight season with multiple nominees.
Voting for the Hobey Baker Award is officially open!
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) January 21, 2026
Cast your votes for Bennett Schimek and Cruz Lucius with more info at https://t.co/uAdVdI53I3 or by texting 844-623-9688 the following numbers:#VoteSchim: 26013#VoteCruz: 26080 pic.twitter.com/PnB0TIskKH
The Hobey Baker award is compared to football's Heisman Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player on and off the ice. Players are judged and nominated by coaches across college hockey based on their skill, character, sportsmanship, and academic performance.
Bennett Schimek
Bennett Schimek joins current ACHA Division I head coach Johnny Walker as the only two-time Hobey nominee while wearing the maroon and gold. Schimek has followed up his 37 point debut season in the desert by recording 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points through 23 games. An unselfish playmaker, Schimek possesses above average vision on the ice to create plays for his teammates and himself. His 21 assists rank third in the NCHC, while his 31 points are good for 5th in the conference.
Cruz Lucius
After missing half the season due to injury after transferring from Wisconsin for the 2024-25 season, Cruz Lucius has rebounded in his senior season for the most productive season of his collegiate career. With 12 goals and 20 assists through 24 games, Cruz is just three points shy of breaking his career mark of 34 points in a season, a mark reached in both his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Badgers. Strong on his edges, his vision allows him to move past opponents in tight spaces, but his overall speed is the main drawback that scouts see in his play. If he can add pace to his game, the 2022 4th round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes (now a Pittsburgh Penguins product) will enjoy a successful career as a middle-six forward.
Lucius and Schimek now make 14 Sun Devils to receive Hobey Baker nominations in program history, joining:
Johnny Walker (2019, 2020), Joey Daccord (2019), James Sanchez (2020), Brinson Pasichnuk (2020), Matthew Kopperud (2022), Colin Theisen (2022), Robert Mastrosimone (2023), TJ Semptimphelter (2023), Tim Lovell (2024), Lukas Sillinger (2024), Noah Beck (2025), and Ryan Kirwan (2025).
Voting for the Hobey Baker trophy is now open, and fans can vote once per day by texting 26013 for Schimek and 26080 for Lucius to 844-623-9688, or by scanning the QR code in the post linked above. Voting will be open until late March when the top 10 finalists of the fan vote are named. A 29-member selection committee made up of coaches, media and scouts will then narrow down the field to the "Hobey Hat Trick" finalists, to be announced in early April. The winner will be determined from these three and announced on Friday, April 10th during awards night at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas.