KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan's Sam Colangelo, Luke Grainger and Dylan Wendt have been named nominees for the Hobey Baker Award, which was announced this morning. 

The Hobey Baker Award is given annually to the nation's top player. In its history, Western Michigan has had four finalists for the award. WMU's trio joins 81 other players on the nomination list. 

Grainger leads the team in points and assists, totaling 34 points on eight goals and 26 assists in just 22 games so far this season. He has already set new career-high totals in points and assists. He also serves as the captain of the Broncos and is top-10 in the country in points and assists this season. 

Wendt has become one of the premier goal scorers in college hockey, producing 30 points on 18 goals and 12 assists. His 18 goals rank top-five in the country, and he's already set new career highs in both goals and points. Should Wendt end up as the nation's goal leader, Western Michigan would be the first team to have three straight players lead the nation in goals scored. 

Since transferring from Northeastern, Colangelo has done nothing but produce for the Broncos. On the season, he has totaled 28 points on 15 goals and 13 assists. His 15 goals are a career high. A lot of his damage has come on the power play, where he's lit the lamp six times. He's currently riding a nine-game point streak, where he's produced 16 points on eight goals and eight assists. 

The group of 84 players will be narrowed down to 10 on March 20 with Division I coaches voting for three players from their conference and three players from the rest of college hockey. A fan vote will also play a role in narrowing down the field. 

Once the field is narrowed down to 10, a 30-member committee will help shrink the list to the three most deserving players. Another fan vote will commence as well. 

The Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced at the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. on April 12.