University of Massachusets Athletics
Chaffee And Leonard Among 79 Hobey Baker Award Nominees
January 16, 2020 | Hockey
The junior forwards are both among the top goal scorers in the nation this season.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts hockey junior forwards Mitchell Chaffee and John Leonard are among 79 nominees for the 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. The list of candidates was announced on Thursday, coinciding with the start of the Hobey Baker fan voting, which is now live and will run until Sunday, March 8.
Part of a program-transforming recruiting class in 2017, Chaffee and Leonard are the top career point producers of that crop of Minutemen that have already seen the highest three-year wins total in program history at 62 and counting. Having appeared in a total of 196 career contests combined, the pair has amassed 180 points over the past three seasons and is the top career goal scoring duo of the entire NCAA Division I junior class. When Chaffee and Leonard are on the scoresheet, it has translated to wins as the Minutemen are 11-4 this year when one or both of them score.
While many critics predicted UMass would see a drop off in success after the departure of 2019 Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar and second-round draft pick Mario Ferraro for the NHL at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, Chaffee and Leonard have helped the program remain contenders for a second straight NCAA Tournament berth. UMass currently sits eighth in the PairWise rankings and has continued to reside in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls every week this season, ranked No. 10 in both this week.
Through 22 contests thus far, Chaffee leads UMass in points with 26 on 13 goals and 13 assists and is +14 with three power-play tallies, one shorthanded goal and two game winners. More than half his points (14) have come in Hockey East play where the 2019 Hockey East Scoring Champion is averaging 1.17 points per-game. One of just two 2018-19 CCM/ACHA First-Team All-Americans to return to school in 2019-20, Chaffee currently ranks tied for 16th nationally in goals and 21st nationally in points.
Leonard paces the Minutemen in goals with 15 in 22 games and trails only Chaffee in points with 20. The 2018-19 Hockey East Second Team All-Star is just one goal shy of matching his career high of 16 goals in 40 games as a sophomore and currently ranks seventh in the nation with .68 goals per-game. In Hockey East play, Leonard leads the league with nine tallies in 12 contests, a 0.75 goals per-game clip. Overall the Amherst native is tied for 15th in Hockey East in points per-game (0.91), is third in goals per-game, tied for first in game-winning goals (3) and first in shots on goal (97).
Chaffee and Leonard are already cementing their place in UMass history as both are on the cusp of cracking the top-10 in career goals by a Minuteman, tied for 11th with 44 apiece. Both currently rank in the top-10 all-time in career plus-minus as Chaffee is fourth (+30) and Leonard is tied for ninth (+21), Leonard is in the top-10 in program history for career power-play goals (14, t-9th), as well.
Earlier this season after notching his 39th and 40th career goals against Boston University, Chaffee matched Greg Mauldin (2001-04) for the quickest to 40 career goals in the program's Hockey East history. Mauldin is the only player to score more goals (48) in a UMass uniform during the team's Hockey East era over his first three seasons than Chaffee and Leonard.
Phase two of fan voting will commence on March 18 following the announcement of the top-10 nominees. The Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be revealed on April 2 with the winner being named on April 10 at the Frozen Four in Detroit, Michigan.
Part of a program-transforming recruiting class in 2017, Chaffee and Leonard are the top career point producers of that crop of Minutemen that have already seen the highest three-year wins total in program history at 62 and counting. Having appeared in a total of 196 career contests combined, the pair has amassed 180 points over the past three seasons and is the top career goal scoring duo of the entire NCAA Division I junior class. When Chaffee and Leonard are on the scoresheet, it has translated to wins as the Minutemen are 11-4 this year when one or both of them score.
While many critics predicted UMass would see a drop off in success after the departure of 2019 Hobey Baker winner Cale Makar and second-round draft pick Mario Ferraro for the NHL at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign, Chaffee and Leonard have helped the program remain contenders for a second straight NCAA Tournament berth. UMass currently sits eighth in the PairWise rankings and has continued to reside in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls every week this season, ranked No. 10 in both this week.
Through 22 contests thus far, Chaffee leads UMass in points with 26 on 13 goals and 13 assists and is +14 with three power-play tallies, one shorthanded goal and two game winners. More than half his points (14) have come in Hockey East play where the 2019 Hockey East Scoring Champion is averaging 1.17 points per-game. One of just two 2018-19 CCM/ACHA First-Team All-Americans to return to school in 2019-20, Chaffee currently ranks tied for 16th nationally in goals and 21st nationally in points.
Leonard paces the Minutemen in goals with 15 in 22 games and trails only Chaffee in points with 20. The 2018-19 Hockey East Second Team All-Star is just one goal shy of matching his career high of 16 goals in 40 games as a sophomore and currently ranks seventh in the nation with .68 goals per-game. In Hockey East play, Leonard leads the league with nine tallies in 12 contests, a 0.75 goals per-game clip. Overall the Amherst native is tied for 15th in Hockey East in points per-game (0.91), is third in goals per-game, tied for first in game-winning goals (3) and first in shots on goal (97).
Chaffee and Leonard are already cementing their place in UMass history as both are on the cusp of cracking the top-10 in career goals by a Minuteman, tied for 11th with 44 apiece. Both currently rank in the top-10 all-time in career plus-minus as Chaffee is fourth (+30) and Leonard is tied for ninth (+21), Leonard is in the top-10 in program history for career power-play goals (14, t-9th), as well.
Earlier this season after notching his 39th and 40th career goals against Boston University, Chaffee matched Greg Mauldin (2001-04) for the quickest to 40 career goals in the program's Hockey East history. Mauldin is the only player to score more goals (48) in a UMass uniform during the team's Hockey East era over his first three seasons than Chaffee and Leonard.
Phase two of fan voting will commence on March 18 following the announcement of the top-10 nominees. The Hobey Hat Trick finalists will be revealed on April 2 with the winner being named on April 10 at the Frozen Four in Detroit, Michigan.
Players Mentioned
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