Buffalo Sabres prospect is among the nominees for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, presented annually to college hockey’s top player. Top star 21, is enjoying an impressive first season with Michigan Tech after spending two years at the University of New Hampshire. In 24 games this season, he leads the Huskies with 10 goals and 19 assists, tallying 29 points—more than doubling his 14-point production from the previous season at New Hampshire.
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Sardarian was drafted by the Sabres with the 88th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. After spending a post-draft year in Russia, he moved to North America, first joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms before transitioning to college hockey.
Players with Local Ties
Several other Hobey Baker nominees have connections to Buffalo and the Western New York area, highlighting the region’s hockey development pipeline:
- Jay Ahearn (Niagara): 25 points (13 G, 12 A) in 25 games this season; former Purple Eagles captain.
- Colby Ambrosio (Miami): Played for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U team in 2017-18.
- Zach Bookman (Merrimack): Syracuse native; played for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 15U team in 2017-18.
- Ryan Conmy (New Hampshire): Played with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres organization from 2017-2020.
- Michael Craig (Robert Morris): Played with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL team in 2019-20.
- Tyler Fukakusa (RIT): 26 points (7 G, 19 A) in 24 games with the Tigers this season.
- Matteo Giampa (Canisius): 21 points (6 G, 15 A) in 22 games for the Griffs this year.
- Joey Muldowney (Connecticut): Lake View native; played for the Buffalo Regals, Buffalo Jr. Sabres, and Nichols School.
- Shane Ott (Niagara): 24 points (6 G, 18 A) in 23 games this season.
- Ryan Ouellette (Northern Michigan): Former Niagara player.
- Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota): Son of Dave Snuggerud, who played for the Sabres from 1989-1992.
- Matthew Wilde (RIT): 19 points (10 G, 9 A) in 16 games for the Tigers.
- Lawton Zacher (Brown): Buffalo native; played at Nichols School from 2019-2022.
- Walter Zacher (Robert Morris): Buffalo native; played at Nichols School from 2017-2020.
Hobey Baker Nominees by NHL Draft Team
Notable nominees by NHL affiliations include:
- Buffalo Sabres: Stiven Sardarian.
- Anaheim Ducks: Austin Burnevik.
- Boston Bruins: Ty Gallagher, Philip Svedeback.
- Chicago Blackhawks: Ryan Greene, Aidan Thompson, Sam Rinzel, Sacha Boisvert.
- Colorado Avalanche: Colby Ambrosio.
- Columbus Blue Jackets: Guillaume Richard.
- Dallas Stars: Ayrton Martino.
- Detroit Red Wings: Trey Augustine, Sam Stange.
- Florida Panthers: Jack Devine.
- Los Angeles Kings: Ryan Conmy, Ben Meehan.
- Minnesota Wild: Zeev Buium.
- Montreal Canadiens: Jacob Fowler, Michael Hage, Rhett Pitlick.
- Nashville Predators: Cole O’Hara, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Aiden Fink.
- New Jersey Devils: Ethan Edwards.
- New York Islanders: Quinn Finley.
- New York Rangers: Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba.
- Philadelphia Flyers: Cole Knuble, Alex Bump.
- San Jose Sharks: Joey Muldowney, Cam Lund.
- Seattle Kraken: Barrett Hall.
- St. Louis Blues: Noah Beck, Jimmy Snuggerud.
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Isaac Howard, Alex Gagne.
- Vegas Golden Knights: Abram Wiebe.
- Washington Capitals: Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson.
This year’s Hobey Baker Award nominees highlight the depth of talent across the NCAA, as well as the strong hockey roots in Buffalo and Western New York.
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