Six former BCHLers are in the running for U-S college hockey's top individual prize, the Hobey Baker trophy.
A list of 77 skaters was posted on the award website.
Penticton Vees alum Austin Smith plays for Colgate University, leading the Raiders (8-5-1) with 26 goals and 41 points in 26 games.
Former Cowichan Valley Capital goaltender Chris Rawlings backstops the Northeastern Huskies (6-11-2), posting a 2.49 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Trail Smoke Eaters alum Dan DeKeyser stars as a sophomore with Western Michigan University (10-7-3-3), collecting three goals and nine points in 28 games on the Broncos blueline.
Former Westside Warrior Justin Schultz is one of two Wisconsin Badgers (7-11-2) nominated.
Schultz wears an A for the Badgers and was also in the Hobey Baker running last year. He leads Wisconsin in goals with 12, and has 38 points in 26 games. Teammate Mark Zengerle, an ex-Salmon Arm Silverback, leads the Badgers with 39 points (10 goals) in 26 games.
Another Salmon Arm skater, Kelly Zajac, has received notice for his work with Union College (9-3-3). The senior leads the Dutchmen with six goals and 31 points in 27 games.
Fan voting decides in part who will make the shortlist of 10, which is announced March 15. More fan voting will help determine three finalists who will be announced March 29.
The winner will be declared April 6 during the NCAA Frozen Four tournament, being held this year in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The entire list of candidates can be found online at www.hobeybakeraward.com/page/show/441246-vote-for-hobey
— Another name on the list that will be familiar to Chilliwack hockey fans is Drew Shore, originally a second round bantam draft pick of the Western Hockey League's Chilliwack Bruins.
Now a junior at Denver University, Shore leads the Pioneers with 16 goals and 39 points in 25 games.
Shore was a second round pick (44th overall) of the Florida Panthers in the 2009 National Hockey League entry draft.