Max Plante said choosing to return to Minnesota-Duluth for another year was one of the hardest decisions he has made. But the Detroit Red Wings prospect gets the chance to play with not one, but two brothers next season.
LAS VEGAS – Max Plante just won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's player. So what's he going to do now?
He's heading back to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
The Detroit Red Wings draft pick will not be signing with the NHL team just yet, as he has a number of reasons to play another season with the NCAA's Bulldogs.
One of those reasons is rather unique: while Plante was linemates with brother Zam (PIT) this season, his youngest brother, Victor, will be joining UMD next season, too.
"That was a huge motivator," Plante said. "The chance to play with two brothers at that high of a level and to try to achieve something I haven't achieved yet and win a national championship, that was the goal really, coming into college hockey. Obviously there's a lot of work to do before we get there, but to be able to do that with, not only my brothers but with guys I've gotten to know at my two years at UMD that are like brothers, it's a super-special place for me, and I want to give it one last go."
With three Plante brothers in the lineup, the Bulldogs will pack quite the offensive punch next season.
Max and Zam were both top 10 scorers nationally this season, ringing up 52 and 50 points in 40 games, respectively. Victor is a talented 2026 NHL draft prospect currently playing for the U.S. NTDP.
And while Plante won't be signing with the Red Wings just yet, it doesn't sound like fans have anything to worry about. Detroit execs Kris Draper and Shawn Horcoff were both at the Hobey Baker ceremony and took pictures with Plante after his win. Not that it was an easy call for the kid.
"Detroit left it up to me," Plante said. "My parents gave me great advice, and talking to everybody, I tried to get a good read on what I should do. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but going with my gut, this is the right thing to do. It's what I wanted all along."
It's rare these days for a Hobey Baker winner to come back for another year of college, but it's certainly not a bad thing. And the award had particular resonance for the family since father Derek Plante was up for the Hobey himself back in 1993. Derek's dad was really pulling for his son to win it at the time, so it was extra-special for Max to have his grandfather see him clinch it.
"It feels like a dream," Plante said. "But it is your name, and when your name is called, you got to stand up. It was super-special to look around and see my family, they were all right there."
Top photo by Allison Kennedy Davies
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