Boston College junior forward Johnny Gaudreau was named the 2014 Hobey Baker Award winner Friday night in Philadelphia as the nation’s top collegiate hockey player.
Gaudreau is the third Eagle (David Emma in 1991, Mike Mottau in 2000) to receive the award. He’s the fourth player to win it under BC coach Jerry York, who also tutored winners George McPhee (1982) and Brian Holzinger (1995) at Bowling Green.
St. Cloud State’s Nic Dowd and St. Lawrence University’s Greg Carey were the other two finalists for this year’s award.
One day after BC’s Frozen Four loss to Union, York told the Boston Herald that Gaudreau would skip his senior season with the Eagles and go to the NHL. Gaudreau will sign with the Calgary Flames and be flown to Vancouver after the ceremony, along with senior teammate Bill Arnold, to start his NHL career Sunday against the Canucks, York said.
The Flames announced later Friday that Gaudreau and Arnold indeed had signed entry-level contracts.
“Congratulations to Johnny on capping off an amazing college season with the Hobey Baker Award, a very well deserved achievement,” Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke said in a statement released by the team. “Johnny is a gifted player with high-end skill and smarts. We look forward to having both players, as they take the next step forward in contributing to the success of the Calgary Flames.”
Gaudreau finished his college career with 78 goals and 175 points. Calgary selected him in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
