University of Denver hockey captain and defenseman Will Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award, given every year to the top NCAA hockey player.
The announcement was made Friday during a ceremony at Navy Pier in Chicago, where the NCAA hockey championship is being held.
Butcher was chosen from 10 nominees and three finalists by a 27-person committee from three finalists. The other finalists were Northeastern University's Zach Aston-Reese and Union College's Mike Vecchion.
As the Denver Post's Mike Chambers pointed out, a defenseman hasn't won the Hobey Baker Award since 2009, and Butcher has certainly earned it. As of March 30, his 36 points 36 points were second nationally by a defenseman.
Butcher is a 2013 Avalanche draft pick, so maybe Denver will keep him around.
