Penn State men’s hockey goaltender Josh Fleming, along with forwards Gavin McKenna and Matt DiMarsico, were each named initial nominees for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, announced Wednesday.
The Hobey Baker Award is presented annually to the top player in the country.
Fleming, who was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List last week, currently leads the nation with a .943 save percentage. His 1.82 goals-against average ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. The freshman is 7-3-0 on the season, including a perfect 6-0-0 record at home. Fleming has recorded two shutouts this year, highlighted by Penn State’s first-ever shutout of Minnesota two weeks ago, and is just the sixth goaltender in program history to post multiple shutouts in a single season.
Freshman classmates Josh Fleming and Gavin McKenna along with junior Matt DiMarisco were each named as part of 87 initial nominees for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award!! 🏒🥅🏆😤#WeAre #HockeyValley
Read ⬇️⬇️https://t.co/4ndUmDenVH
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 21, 2026
McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has totaled 24 points in 20 games this season. He ranks second in the Big Ten and is tied for fifth nationally in freshman scoring, and his 18 assists lead all Big Ten rookies and rank third in the nation. McKenna is coming off his first multi-goal game of the season and a career-high three-point performance last Saturday against Notre Dame. He has recorded at least one point in six of his last seven games, including a current three-game point streak.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.DiMarsico is coming off his third hat trick of the season and a four-goal weekend against Notre Dame. He now leads Penn State hockey in both goals (14) and points (26), with his goal total tied for second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally. The junior is the first Nittany Lion to record multiple hat tricks in a single season. Penn State now has five hat tricks this year and 20 in program history.
Phase I fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award begins today and runs through March 8, featuring a new text-based voting system.
Fans can vote by visiting hobeybaker.com/vote, selecting their preferred player, and following the instructions.
The Top-10 finalists will be announced March 18, followed by the Hobey Hat-Trick on April 2, with the winner revealed at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas on April 10.
