Denver forward Bobby Brink, Minnesota State goalie Dryden McKay, and Minnesota forward Ben Meyers have been named the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

The Hobey Baker is awarded annually to the top college men's ice hockey player.

Brink, who the Philadelphia Flyers selected with the 34th pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, recorded 14 goals and 42 assists in 39 games with Denver this season. He led the nation in points, assists, and points per game (1.44).

McKay appeared in 41 contests with Minnesota State, achieving a .934 save percentage and a sparkling 1.28 goals against average while earning an NCAA-record 37 wins. He was a finalist for the award last year as well.

Meyers scored 14 goals and added 24 assists in 33 games with Minnesota. He co-captained the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten regular-season title this season.

The winner will be announced on April 8. Montreal Canadiens rookie Cole Caufield won the award last year.

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Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi will miss at least a couple of weeks due to a lower-body injury suffered against the Washington Capitals on Monday, according to team reporter Walt Ruff.

Kotkaniemi took a big hit from Lars Eller in the final seconds of Monday's blowout 6-1 victory.

Brind'Amour said postgame that Kotkaniemi was "not doing great" and that he would definitely miss some time. Hurricanes forward Martin Necas called out Eller for the useless play, for which he received a two-minute charging minor.

"For me, that's just so stupid. ... It's a 6-1 game, one second left, and he tries to be a hero or whatever," Necas said, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "I don't know. I have no words for that. It's just ridiculous."

Kotkaniemi has 11 goals and 15 assists in 63 games this season.

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Nathan MacKinnon's injury isn't as serious as it initially appeared to be.

The Colorado Avalanche star will return to the lineup Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks, head coach Jared Bednar announced.

MacKinnon suffered an upper-body injury against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. The exact injury is unknown, but he appeared to hurt his hand in a fight with Wild defenseman Matt Dumba.

The 26-year-old flew back to Colorado to be evaluated earlier this week, and Bednar said his concern for the injury was "high." MacKinnon missed Tuesday's 2-1 win against the Calgary Flames.

MacKinnon has been in and out of the lineup all season due to injuries and a bout with COVID-19 but has managed an impressive 22 goals and 48 assists in 51 contests.

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Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor and defenseman Nate Schmidt have both tested positive for COVID-19, interim head coach Dave Lowry announced Wednesday, according to Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre.

The pair entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocol in Buffalo after receiving their positive tests ahead of Wednesday's game. Connor and Schmidt will need to remain in the U.S. for the next five days, meaning they will miss Winnipeg's three upcoming contests, McIntyre adds.

Winnipeg is still clinging to playoff hopes as the season winds down. With 15 games remaining on their schedule, the Jets have a 32-25-10 record and are in sixth place in the Central Division.

Connor ranks fifth in the league with 41 goals and is tied for seventh with 82 points. Schmidt has four goals and 31 points in 66 games this season.

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Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo will miss the remainder of the season due to a hip injury that will require surgery, the team announced Thursday. He's expected to make a full recovery in six months.

"This is an injury that Joonas has been dealing with for some time and it has now gotten to the point where surgery is the best option," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "We are disappointed for him as he has worked extremely hard to be able to play, but this is the best course of action."

The 27-year-old struggled in the 22 contests he appeared in this season. He managed a 7-11-0 record alongside a .877 save percentage and 4.15 goals against average - both the worst marks of his career.

Korpisalo is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury that requires surgery, the team announced Thursday.

Additionally, defenseman Scott Mayfield will miss four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury.

Clutterbuck has six goals and nine assists in 59 games this season. His team-high 229 hits rank fourth in the league.

The Islanders signed Cluttberuck to a two-year extension earlier this week. The contract carries an average annual value of $1.75 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Mayfield has three goals and 15 assists in 61 contests this campaign. He ranks fourth on the team with 19:47 of ice time per game and second with 109 blocked shots.

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The NHL has voided the trade sending Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Anaheim Ducks, the league announced Wednesday.

Vegas agreed to trade Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick to Anaheim in exchange for defenseman John Moore and Ryan Kesler's contract shortly before the trade deadline Monday.

The league stated it voided the deal because it did not comply with Dadonov's limited no-trade list.

It's believed the main issue was that the NHL didn't have Dadonov's no-trade list on record, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Anaheim was reportedly on his list, but the teams and league weren't aware.

Dadonov, 33, carries a $5-million cap hit and is signed through the 2022-23 season. The Golden Knights were presumably trading him to clear cap space to activate injured players.

With Dadonov still on the roster, Vegas has $405,833 in usable space remaining in its long-term injury salary pool, according to CapFriendly. The team needs $9,094,167 in cap space to activate captain Mark Stone and $4,844,167 to activate defenseman Alec Martinez.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are turning back to goaltender Petr Mrazek on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.

Mrazek surrendered four goals on 37 shots in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres in his last appearance at the Heritage Classic on March 13.

With Jack Campbell sidelined and Mrazek struggling, rookie goalie Erik Kallgren took over the crease for the past three games. He earned a 35-save shutout in his debut and split his last two decisions. Kallgren gave up five goals on 33 shots in his previous appearance last Saturday.

"It's a good opportunity to get him going for us," Keefe said about naming Mrazek as Wednesday's starter, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

Mrazek has struggled immensely in his first season with the Maple Leafs, managing a .884 save percentage in 17 appearances. He went unclaimed after Toronto placed him on waivers last week.

The 30-year-old took the waiver assignment as a wake-up call and hopes he'll turn things around as the season winds down.

"You never know what can happen. The hockey career can change (in) a minute," Mrazek said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "I'm happy I'm here."

He added: "It never feels good, you know, but now it's over, and we move on. It's like a reset button and let's get going."

Mrazek has allowed 20 goals on 148 shots in his last five games, producing a .865 save percentage in that stretch.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are turning back to goaltender Petr Mrazek on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.

Mrazek surrendered four goals on 37 shots in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres in his last appearance at the Heritage Classic on March 13.

With Jack Campbell sidelined and Mrazek struggling, rookie goalie Erik Kallgren took over the crease for the past three games. He earned a 35-save shutout in his debut and split his last two decisions. Kallgren gave up five goals on 33 shots in his previous appearance last Saturday.

"It's a good opportunity to get him going for us," Keefe said about naming Mrazek as Wednesday's starter, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

Mrazek has struggled immensely in his first season with the Maple Leafs, managing a .884 save percentage in 17 appearances. He went unclaimed after Toronto placed him on waivers last week.

The 30-year-old took the waiver assignment as a wake-up call and hopes he'll turn things around as the season winds down.

"You never know what can happen. The hockey career can change (in) a minute," Mrazek said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "I'm happy I'm here."

He added: "It never feels good, you know, but now it's over, and we move on. It's like a reset button and let's get going."

Mrazek has allowed 20 goals on 148 shots in his last five games, producing a .865 save percentage in that stretch.

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are turning back to goaltender Petr Mrazek on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils.

Mrazek surrendered four goals on 37 shots in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres in his last appearance at the Heritage Classic on March 13.

With Jack Campbell sidelined and Mrazek struggling, rookie goalie Erik Kallgren took over the crease for the past three games. He earned a 35-save shutout in his debut and split his last two decisions. Kallgren gave up five goals on 33 shots in his previous appearance last Saturday.

"It's a good opportunity to get him going for us," Keefe said about naming Mrazek as Wednesday's starter, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

Mrazek has struggled immensely in his first season with the Maple Leafs, managing a .884 save percentage in 17 appearances. He went unclaimed after Toronto placed him on waivers last week.

The 30-year-old took the waiver assignment as a wake-up call and hopes he'll turn things around as the season winds down.

"You never know what can happen. The hockey career can change (in) a minute," Mrazek said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "I'm happy I'm here."

He added: "It never feels good, you know, but now it's over, and we move on. It's like a reset button and let's get going."

Mrazek has allowed 20 goals on 148 shots in his last five games, producing a .865 save percentage in that stretch.

Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.