Hyman, Wydo, Kero named Hobey Baker finalists

By @SKubus –

The 2015 Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalists were named Thursday, and three Michigan connections were among them.

Michigan’s Zach Hyman, Michigan Tech’s Tanner Kero (Hancock) and Robert Morris’s Cody Wydo (Southgate) were all included among the top-ten finalists for this year’s award, which goes to college hockey’s very best, both on and off the ice.

Hyman, a senior forward for the Wolverines, won the Big Ten scoring title after posting 49 points. With one more point, he would become the first Wolverine to hit the 50-point plateau since current New York Rangers forward Carl Hagelin did in 2009-10, when he posted 19 goals and 31 assists. Hyman currently sits with 19 goals and 30 assists. Another goal would make him the first Wolverine to hit 20 since Louie Caporusso potted 21 in 2009-10.

Hyman’s 1.44 points/game average is just behind Northville native Kevin Porter’s 1.47 mark in 2008, the year Porter took home the Hobey Baker Award himself. That’s especially impressive considering the Florida Panthers prospect entered the season with 35 points in his first three seasons combined. He also finished second in the Big Ten with a plus-21 rating, and is the first Hobey Baker finalist since Sterling Heights native Shawn Hunwick in 2012. Off the ice, Hyman possesses the highest grade-point average on the Wolverines and is a published author of several children’s books.

Kero, a senior forward for the Huskies, was already named the WCHA Player of the Year and took home the league scoring title after posting 19 goals (seven game winners) and 45 points in 38 games, 12 of which have been multi-point outings. Kero’s offensive onslaught was a big reason the Huskies quickly became a top-five team and ultimately finished there.

The Hancock native also volunteers to read at schools with the Koaches Kids organization, is a three-time WCHA scholar athlete and was named the WCHA’s Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year.

It was a season of firsts for Wydo at Robert Morris University. The Southgate native posted 50 goals over the past two seasons to help him become the school’s all-time scoring leader. He finished this year with 19 goals and 41 points in 36 contests. The offensive charge propelled the Colonials to their first conference championship this season.

Before he was a Colonial, Wydo spent time playing for Victory Honda and the Detroit-based Motor City Metal Jackets in the NAHL. Off the ice, Wydo has a steady 3.67 GPA and volunteers as a youth hockey coach.