There's still a few weeks left in the season, but it's not too early to take a look at the frontrunners for college hockey's Heisman.

In his landmark novel “This Side of Paradise,” author F. Scott Fitzgerald described the character of Allenby as “slim and defiant, as if aware that this year the hopes of the college rested on him, that his hundred-and-sixty pounds were expected to dodge to victory through the heavy blue and crimson lines.”

It’s no secret that Fitzgerald modeled that character after his former Princeton classmate, Hobey Baker. Baker was the true All-American before the term became cliché. He was the captain of both Princeton’s football and hockey teams, being named All-American five times in those two sports. He is a charter member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, and one of the few yankees to end up in the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame.  He also is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

But his life was more than sports. After graduation, he became a fighter pilot in World War I, rising to the rank of captain with a slew of medals and honors being pinned to him along the way. And while much of the world celebrated an armistice in late 1918, Baker test-flew a fighter plane which ultimately crashed in the French countryside, leaving the sporting world without a man that some of the era have claimed to be one of the greatest athletes to ever don a uniform.

That’s a tough act to follow, one that nominees for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey’s best player, ultimately understand they can’t. But with the bar set so high, it becomes difficult to find players who can measure up.

This year’s Hobey Baker recipient will be named the night before the national championship game in Tampa, Fla., and the list of 10 finalists will not be released until March 15. But for now, with fan voting still taking place at www.hobeybakeraward.com, we take a look at this year’s potential nominees.

Jack Connolly, forward, Minnesota-Duluth: Notre Dame’s defense did something back on Oct. 8 that no other team has been able to accomplish this season – keep Connolly off the scoresheet. The undrafted senior captain has led the defending champions back to the elite class of Division I with an NCAA-best 40 points, including 38 in the 22-game scoring streak he carried into Friday night’s matchup with Michigan Tech. As one of six seniors, Connolly has also kept his teammates focused enough to avoid the backsliding that sometimes follows an unexpected national championship. He’s also been nominated for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for his charity work with Pucks for Poverty, Boys and Girls Club of Duluth and several cancer research fundraisers. So yeah, he’s the guy you want your daughter to marry, much like the namesake of the award.

Spencer Abbott, forward, Maine: The undrafted senior first started to show signs of brilliance last season, when he posted 17 goals and 40 points for the Black Bears. This season, though, Abbott has blown all expectations out of the water. He has generated 38 points – second-most in the nation – behind the strength of 10 multi-point games. When he’s on, he’s on. More than that, the Hamilton, Ontario, native has made his team better. When he tallies an assist, Maine is 10-1-3; when he doesn’t, the Bears are just 2-7-0.
 

Austin Smith, forward, Colgate: The Dallas native was taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Draft by his hometown Stars, but opted to develop at the NCAA level. Smith has been consistent, tallying 31, 41 and 31 points in his first three seasons in Hamilton. But this season has been the coming-out party for Smith. His 24 goals – which include an NCAA-best five short-handed tallies – lead Division I by a large margin and his 38 points trail only Connolly in the scoring race.

Nick Bjugstad, forward, Minnesota: The sophomore forward and former first-round pick by the Florida Panthers has tallied 20 goals, second-best in the country. Bjugstad has only 12 assists and has been the beneficiary of playing alongside a ridiculous wealth of talent in Minneapolis. But, like a few others in this list, Bjugstad faces the stigma of being an underclassman. If Hobey voters didn’t veer toward upperclassmen, former collegiate stars like Thomas Vanek, Phil Kessel, Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie would have gotten a lot more love from the committee.

T.J. Tynan, forward, Notre Dame: Tynan is a great story of the underestimated talent who shined when given an unexpected opportunity. When Kyle Palmieri left Notre Dame to join the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2010, the Irish roster was left a forward short. Cue Tynan, who cut short his time in the USHL to head to South Bend, where he won Rookie of the Year honors after a 23-goal, 54-point campaign. Tynan, picked by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round of last summer’s draft, already has 33 points this season in 25 games. Slump? What sophomore slump?
 

Drew Shore, forward, Denver: In a season his Pioneers have been decimated by injuries, Shore – another Florida Panthers prospect – has become the backbone of the team. His 15 goals and 35 points both rank among the nation’s best. His nine power-play goals are the most in the NCAA. More importantly, Shore has become the catalyst for the Pioneers’ winning ways. His six gamewinners are second-best in Division I. And when he tallies a point, Denver is 12-4-2; when he doesn’t, his team is just 1-4-1.

Rylan and Jaden Schwartz, forwards, Colorado College: A lot of the attention focuses on Jaden (left), a former first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues and the captain of the Canadian World Juniors team, but don't overlook the season Rylan (right) is having. Jaden has eight goals and 25 points in 18 games, while older brother Rylan has 18 goals and 28 points in 23 games. Neither has a leadership role for the Tigers, but Jaden’s time in the spotlight at World Juniors may give him – justifiably or not – more of the vote.

Justin Schultz, defense, Wisconsin: It’s scary to think this junior and Anaheim Ducks draftee was last season paired with current Maple Leafs blueliner Jake Gardiner. With his old buddy making a mark in the NHL, Schultz has elevated his game. His 12 goals and 25 assists both lead all Division I defensemen. His plus-15 rating is even more impressive on a team that has struggled to outscore anyone this year. Schultz’ obstacle is that blueliners only get finalist consideration when they put together monster seasons like Matt Gilroy, Matt Carle and Jordan Leopold did. The campaign Schultz is assembling, though, may outdo all of those big-name D-men. In fact, he’s the only defenseman we’ll list, since by comparison, every other blueliner seems not even close to worthy of consideration.

Shane Madolora, goalie, RIT: The undrafted junior currently has a chance for the triple crown of goaltending. His 1.82 goals-against average is fifth best in Division I, his .935 save percentage is third best, and his six shutouts tie him with Minnesota netminder and Avalanche prospect Kent Patterson for the most in Division I. He has shown consistency; he posted a 1.93 GAA and .935 save percentage to lead RIT to the conference title last season. However, in a year where the other conferences are light years ahead of Atlantic Hockey, RIT and its star players may be seen as mediocre by association.

Connor Knapp, goalie, Miami: If voters reward consistency and career achievement, Knapp would win in a landslide. The senior and Buffalo Sabres prospect has been ridiculously good for the four years he’s spent in Oxford. He posted a 2.09 GAA and .904 save percentage in his freshman year, and has done better every season after. This season, he’s 8-4-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .932 save percentage. However, there’s the question of whether Knapp is even the best goalie on his own team, since he’s been splitting time with undrafted classmate Cody Reichard. In fact, while Knapp has looked better in the crease, Reichard’s community involvement has earned him a second-straight nomination for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. Character and community are big components of the voting criteria, and in that regard, Knapp is being shown up by his own creasemate.

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