Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay wins Hobey Baker Award

Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay didn’t take home the Mike Richter Award for the best goaltender in college hockey on Friday. (Providence’s Devon Levi, a Buffalo prospect, got the nod there as well as the Tim Taylor Award for Rookie of the Year.)  However, he earned an even bigger award as the NCAA announced that the netminder has won the Hobey Baker Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding men’s college hockey player in the United States.  He beat out Minnesota center Ben Meyers and Denver winger Bobby Brink (a Philadelphia prospect) for the honor.

McKay actually was a finalist for the award last season that went to then-Wisconsin winger Cole Caufield.  This season, the 24-year-old has had yet another dominant campaign with the Mavericks, posting a 1.27 goals-against average along with a .934 save percentage in 42 games (where he has a 38-4 record with 10 shutouts).  Of course, they have one more game to go as they will take on Denver for the national championship on Saturday.

After that game, several NHL teams are expected to try to sign McKay.  His numbers throughout his four-year college career have been nothing short of stellar (a 1.45 GAA, a .932 SV% and 34 shutouts in 139 games).  While he’s a bit small compared to a lot of goalies nowadays as teams tend to prefer taller netminders — McKay stands 6-foot — this is a player many should be willing to make an exception for.