Because he's a sophomore - and that's the
only reason.
Is he deserving?
Absolutely. But I believe the top 10 is as far as he'll get, this season.
But if I had a vote, I wouldn't want to bestow such a high honor on a younger player (this, among many reasons, is why I'm glad I
don't have a vote). I don't think Nyquist will go pro early, at least not this year, so I believe he'll have another year to perform; having seen him play, I fully expect him to grow even stronger, and put up bigger numbers next year -- especially scoring more goals.
Another reason: he's done playing. It shouldn't matter, but I think it usually does . . . that's why I was glad UNH made the NCAAs -- another chance for Butler.
Now, I'll have to go look; I know Bobby's a senior, and I believe the other two are upperclassmenas well. It's very rare to see an 'underclassman' win the Hobey -- granted, I've not looked at the non-winners to make the hat trick, to see if underclass make the final 3. You would know about freshman winning the Hobey (see Kariya).
It's a similar situation to when Mike Vick first entered the NFL; he had an amazing rookie year, and there was talk of giving him the MvP award. The question was, do that now, and what if he gets better (we all know how that turned out). I feel the same way about Nyquist; I don't see him going pro NOW (perhaps after next year), so he'll be there again next year.
Lastly, when you come right down to it . . . I just hate Maine