Pair of NAHL Alumni named as Hobey Baker Top Ten Finalists

Photos courtesy of: Army Athletics, Lilly Anderson

NAHL alumni, Army-West Point defenseman Mac Gadowsky and Minnesota State goaltender Alex Tracy, were recently tabbed as Top Ten Finalists for the 2025 Hobey Baker Award, announced Wednesday by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation. Finalists were chosen with input from all 64 NCAA Division I head coaches, as well as online fan voting. The “Hobey Hat Trick” (three finalists) will be announced on Friday, April 11, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 2025 Frozen Four. 

Army-West Point sophomore, Mac Gadowsky, has been at the front and center of awards all season, earning Atlantic Hockey (AHA) Defenseman of the Week five times and AHA Defenseman of the Month twice. The 6’3” blueliner led the nation alongside University of Denver’s Zeev Buium in points by defensemen, logging 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) across 38 games played. Gadowsky’s 16 goals stood alone amongst blueliners in the nation and placed him fifth amongst all skaters in AHA. The Fairbanks, Alaska native made Army program history by being the first player recognized as a Top Ten Finalist. 

Gadowsky made his NCAA commitment to Army in June of 2022 while playing with the Springfield Jr. Blues. During his rookie season with the Midwest Division club, Mac appeared in 22 regular season games and three Robertson Cup playoff games. He returned to Springfield in the 2022-2023 season, logging 14 points (1 goal, 13 assists) in 39 games before joining his hometown Fairbanks Ice Dogs for 17 games to finish out the regular season.

Minnesota State Mavericks goaltender Alex Tracy, recently named CCHA Goaltender and Player of the Year, is also no stranger to earning recognition for his play. Throughout the 2024-2025 regular season, Tracy was named CCHA’s Goaltender of the Week five times and Goaltender of the Month twice. The Chicago, Illinois native finished the season with impressive statistics in all categories, leading the NCAA in both goals against average (1.41) and save percentage (.946). Tracy was also recently named a finalist for the 2025 Mike Richter Award, given to the nation’s best goaltender.

Tracy began his junior hockey career in the NAHL with the Johnstown Tomahawks. During the 2019-2020 regular season, he appeared in 24 games, logging an impressive 17-4-1 record. Throughout those games, Tracy boasted a 2.12 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Those statistics placed him in the top ten across the league amongst qualified goalies. For his efforts, Alex was named to the All-East Division Team and was tabbed East Division Goaltender and Rookie of the Year.

Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalists: Zeev Buium (Denver), Jack Devine (Denver), Aiden Fink (Penn State), Mac Gadowsky (Army), Isaac Howard (Michigan State), Ryan Leonard (Boston College), Ayrton Martino (Clarkson), Liam McLinskey (Holy Cross), Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota), Alex Tracy (Minnesota State)