Minnesota Duluth's Scott Perunovich Wins Hobey Baker Award

Minnesota Duluth defenseman Scott Perunovich, a two-time NCAA national champion, has won the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the best player in Division I men's hockey.

Perunovich beat two other Hobey Hat Trick finalists—North Dakota forward Jordan Kawaguchi and Maine goalie Jeremy Swayman—to become the third defenseman in the last four seasons to win. He's the ninth defenseman and sixth Minnesota Duluth player to take the award since its inception in 1981.

Perunovich was an integral part of the Bulldogs' back-to-back national championship teams in 2018 and 2019, amassing 14 goals, 41 assists and a plus-31 during that two-year span.

He had another exceptional junior season with six goals, 34 assists and a plus-18 rating, helping UMD earn the fourth spot in the last USCHO.com poll of the year. The 21-year-old also finished tied for 10th in D-I in scoring.

The Bulldogs looked primed to make a serious run at a third straight championship, but the NCAA canceled the remainder of the postseason in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perunovich will now take his talents to the St. Louis Blues, who drafted him 45th overall in 2018. He agreed to a two-year contract with the team.

As for the finalists, Kawaguchi and Swayman did not go home empty-handed.

Both were named first-team All-Americans, and Swayman was given the Mike Richter Award as NCAA Division I men's hockey's best netminder.