BU freshman hockey sensation Jack Eichel was named one of three finalists for the 2015 Hobey Baker Award last week. The award is the highest individual honor given to an NCAA hockey player, equivalent to football’s Heisman Trophy.

The winner of the 35th annual award will be announced in Boston on April 10, at Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena. The announcement will be televised live on NESN and on the NHL Network at 5 p.m. EDT.

“Coach [David] Quinn called me this afternoon and said I had been chosen to be one of the three finalists,” Eichel (CGS’16) said before this afternoon’s practice. “It was a good feeling. Obviously it’s a really big honor to be selected for an award like that. I think it’s a pretty big testament to my teammates, because I wouldn’t be in the situation I am if we didn’t have the year we did.”

Joining Eichel in the final hat trick are Zane McIntyre, a junior goalie from the University of North Dakota, and Jimmy Vesey, a junior forward from Harvard University, who is from Reading, Mass. Eichel and the Terriers will play McIntrye and North Dakota in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game at TD Garden on April 9. The winner of that game will advance to the championship game on Saturday, April 11.

“People would be shocked if he wasn’t one of the three finalists,” says Quinn. “When you lead the nation in scoring  and you meet or exceed the expectations that Jack met or exceeded in his first year–I’m not surprised….I think our guys just feel good for him.”

Hobey Baker played for Princeton and helped New York’s St. Nicholas Club win a national amateur championship in 1915. Photo courtesy of the Hobey Baker Foundation

Eichel said he has been preparing to face off against North Dakota in the same way he has prepared for games all season. “Just simple things, like trying to get better every day at practice, getting stronger in the weight room, taking care of my body,” he said. “It’s a big game obviously—it’s the Frozen Four, but it’s just another hockey game. We’ve been pretty successful with our preparation up until this point, so there’s nothing to change.”

If he wins, Eichel would become only the third Terrier to receive the award—Chris Drury (CAS’98) won in 1998 and Matt Gilroy (MET’09) in 2009, the last year BU won the national championship. Eichel would be just the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker, following Paul Kariya of the University of Maine in 1993. Last year’s winner was Johnny Gaudreau of Boston College. The award was first given in 1981.

Eichel, an 18-year-old forward from North Chelmsford, Mass., led the Terriers to the Frozen Four by collecting 67 points in just 38 games, with 24 goals and 43 assists. He was the Hockey East scoring champion, Rookie of the Year, and Player of the Year. He will be eligible for the National Hockey League entry draft this June.

“Winners are chosen not for raw skill or stats or character alone, though those are important,” according to the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation website. “They are selected for everything they do,” including exhibiting strength of character, contributing to the integrity of their team, and showing scholastic skill and sportsmanship.

The award is named for Baker, a Philadelphian who played for Princeton and helped New York’s St. Nicholas Club win a national amateur championship in 1915. He was considered the best amateur player in the country and “the ultimate gentleman sportsman.”

Eichel first picked up a plastic hockey stick at the age of three and learned the game with help from his dad on a frozen pond near their home. He skated for Team USA at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Austria and helped Team USA capture the gold medal at the U18 World Championship in 2014.

Amy Laskowski contributed reporting to this story.