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Vote: Who Should Be Hockey East Player of the Year?

Hockey East features a variety of powerhouse schools on the ice. From University of Maine to Boston College, the talent that comes out of Hockey East is consistently among the best.

Paul Thompson, a forward from University of New Hampshire, took the award last year with 42 conference points and 23 goals, but this season there's a new crop of candidates and the race should be a tight one. There are plenty of options, so think hard and choose wisely.

The star of the Maine Black Bears is undoubtedly Spencer Abbot. The senior forward has shattered his career high in points, setting his new mark at 56. Match that with 19 goals in 33 games and you have a deadly weapon on skates.

Brian Flynn joins Abbot on the Maine roster and contributes nearly as much to the team's potent offense. Flynn has 28 assists so far, matching his career high. Add that to his 17 goals, and his 45 points help explain why the Black Bears are in the top half of the standings.

New Hampshire is two games under .500 but that hasn't deterred Stevie Moses. The 5-foot-9 winger has already scored 21 goals this season en route to a career high 34 points.

Joey Diamond is the third Black Bear to make the list, and deservedly so. The only 20-goal scorer on the team, Diamond's 22-19-41 line has helped leave defenses indecisive on where to focus their attention. He makes it one too many weapons for most opponents to keep up with.

Senior year has been friendly to most of the candidates, including Boston College forward Barry Almeida. He has set career highs across the board with a 21-14-35 line in his senior season with the Eagles. The effort has helped spur BC to the top of the Hockey East standings.

Boston College center Chris Kreider impressed the Rangers enough to get drafted in 2009, and has continued to impress this season. He has 19 goals and 36 points for the Eagles this year.

The lone Terrier on the list, Alex Chiasson has helped keep Boston University within one game of first place in Hockey East. While he is not a prolific scorer with only 12 goals, his 26 assists more than make up for it as he creates opportunities for others.

With so many options it's hard to get a grip on who the best should be. Unfortunately, that makes picking the best player in Hockey East a bit of a predicament. With so much talent and only one Player of the Year, the voting stands to be pretty close. Nevertheless, someone must be chosen.

Vote for the player you think deserves to be Hockey East Player of the Year in the poll below.

Who should be Hockey East player of the year?