Thatcher Demko Named to “Hobey Baker Hat Trick” As Top 3 Finalist

The accolades keep pouring in for Canucks goaltending prospect Thatcher Demko, as the 20-year old netminder was named today to the Hobey Baker Hat Trick as one of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the NCAA’s top player.

Demko’s competition for the award includes Winnipeg prospect Kyle Connor and former Nashville prospect-turned-free agent Jimmy Vesey, both of whom have had outstanding seasons.

Demko has had a historic season for the Boston College Eagles, one that has seen him break school records set by none other than Cory Schneider. We recently ranked Demko as the Canucks’ top prospect in our Midterm Rankings, and you can see plenty of analysis on his season in that article.

As a refresher, Demko is among that nation leaders in a plethora of statistics, including goal against average (1.85 – 7th), save percentage (.936 – 2nd), win percentage (.763 – 3rd), and wins (27 – 3rd), while leading all NCAA in shutouts in 10 (breaking the previous Boston College record of eight, set by Schneider in 2005-06.

He’ll be in tough against Connor and Vesey, two of the top offensive players in the nation this season.

Kyle Connor, a freshman with the Michigan Wolverines, destroyed the NCAA in his rookie season, scoring 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists) in 38 games played for a devastating points per game on 1.87, leading the league by a country mile. He led the NCAA in a variety of offensive statistics including goals, points, power play points (24), and hat-tricks (2).

66.7 per cent of statistically similar players have gone on to play 200 or more NHL games, though the sample size is rather small due to Connor’s sky high production – there’s little doubt that Connor can become a special player in the NHL at this point. Successful comparable players include Joe Nieuwendyk and Craig Janney.

Michigan was eliminated in the NCAA regionals by our own Brock Boeser and the University of North Dakota, so he won’t have a chance to expand on his impressive numbers.

Jimmy Vesey, a senior with the Harvard Crimson, has had a solid year as well, scoring 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 33 games. His 1.39 points per game rank seventh in the NCAA, and his other numbers aren’t nearly as dominant as Kyle Connor’s in any category. In fact, Vesey’s junior season was more prolific than his senior year. Vesey is known as a solid two-way player and plays an NHL ready, mature game – which is why he’s gotten so much attention from NHL teams lately as he makes his way to free agency.

27.6 per cent of comparable players have gone on to become regular NHL players, with a cohort that includes Chris Kunitz, Dominic Moore, and Shawn Horcoff. NCAA seniors generally have to earn a spot in the NHL within a year or two of leaving college, before their projected likelihoods of making the big leagues begins to go in the tank. By all accounts, Vesey is capable of making an impact sooner rather than later, and his all around game lends to the notion that he’s got a good shot of following in the footsteps of the 27 per cent of similar players that carved out NHL careers.

Harvard was eliminated in the NCAA regionals last weekend by none other than Thatcher Demko and Boston College. Vesey was also a Hobey Baker finalist last year.

Demko might have as good a chance as any as winning the award – this is the first time in a few years that there is an open debate about the finalists, rather than a clear favourite. That said, it’s been 15 years since the last time a goalie has won the Hobey Baker. Were Demko to win, he would be the first netminder to earn the honour since Ryan Miller in 2001. Eight other goaltenders have been named as finalists since then – though in my opinion, Demko has a better shot than any of them of bringing home the award.

The Hobey Baker will be awarded in a public ceremony next weekend in Tampa, Florida during the Frozen Four. The fact that Demko is the only Hobey Baker finalist heading to the Frozen Four could help his cause, as will the eye popping saves that he’s become known for.