The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee announced today the 2025 recipient of college hockey’s top individual prize is Isaac Howard from Michigan State University. The announcement came during a live broadcast on NHL Network and hobeybaker.com.

The junior forward from Hudson, Wisconsin has had a phenomenal season in helping guide the Spartans to the Big Ten conference regular season and playoff titles – both for the second straight season. Howard became a dangerous scoring threat every shift as he had the nation’s best points per game average, chiming in at 1.41 points per game. He finished his season with 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in 37 games. With just the national championship game to go, Howard sits fifth in the nation in scoring and is tied for third in goals.

Plenty of accolades followed including Big Ten Scoring Champion, First Team all-conference and the league’s Player of the Year. Additionally, he is a First Team All-American in the west. “Ike” as he is known around the team becomes the third Spartan to win the Hobey following goalie Ryan Miller in 2001 and forward Kip Miller in 1990.

Howard scored the majority of his goals at even strength but did add five power play tallies and notched four game winning goals. A prolific shooter, he fired 169 shots on goal to rank fifth in the country, while logging just over 19 minutes of ice time per game. He took only five minor penalties in his Hobey Baker season. Collecting points in 29 of his 37 games, Howard had 14 multiple point games including a four goal and one assist night versus Penn State.

After spending his freshman season at Minnesota Duluth, Howard transferred to the Spartans to continue his Communications Major. He was a first-round draft (31^st overall) of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022. He spent two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program and earned multiple medals in U-18 and World Junior Championship competitions. He spends some off-ice time with the Spartans Triumph Together program assisting kids in Children’s Hospital.

Hobey Baker was the legendary Princeton (1914) hockey player known as America’s greatest amateur athlete over one hundred years ago. He redefined how the game was played with his coast-to-coast dashes in an era when hockey was contested by seven players and no forward passes. Baker, a member of the U.S. Army’s Air Corp, died testing a repaired aircraft at the end of World War I after he had completed his military service. The Hobey Baker Award criteria include displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship, and scholastic achievements. Howard was selected from a group of ten finalists by a 30-member selection committee and online fan balloting.

NOTE: Members of the media can access a photo of Isaac Howard and the Hobey Baker trophy by visiting www.hobeybaker.com/media. Howard, along with the Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey, Dick Umile, will be honored at an upcoming banquet and golf tournament August 7, in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. For more information on the Hobey or to access photos, please visit www.hobeybaker.com/media.