2025 Hobey Baker award winner, and former first round pick in 2022 Isaac Howard is likely to refuse an entry level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and will become one of the hottest young prospects on the market. But with a sure amount of teams expected to flock around Howard this summer, there is one team in particular who he could slip into better than others.
Anaheim, Orange County have recently found themselves acquiring a new head coach, NHL veteran, and three time Stanley Cup winning Joel Queeneville. Despite the controversy, Queeneville is a winner, and is the perfect coach for the youth setup in Anaheim, but bringing a player like Howard to the setup could be exactly what Queeneville needs for a successful first season with the Ducks.
The Ducks have been in a pretty long rebuild phase and have seen some amazing talent come into the team through the draft and other transactions. Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras, and Jackson LaCombe are all draft grown talents, not to mention other like Troy Terry, Cutter Gauthier, and Alex Killorn who are all major players in Anaheim, but adding another young buck like Hioward could mean a lot for the Ducks going forward.
Although Howard was the 31st pick of the 2022 NHL draft, as of recently he has really upped his game in college, and has a Hobey Baker to show for it. But with his own personal standards set high, and the inability to come to an agreement with Tampa Bay at the end of this season, Howard has decided to return to college for a final year and aim to retain his Hobey Baker, but with his NHL career fast approaching, new beginnings, and a new home is on the horizon for Howard, and Anaheim could be the perfect place.
With word spreading that Trevor Zegras could see the door in Anaheim next season, the teams winger core isn't going to be so pretty, but with a slick and smooth talent like Howard on the roster, his long NCAA career may mean he is ready to slot right into Zegras’ spot, and be the man Anaheim really want.
After a 52 point year with Michigan, Howard has shown nothing but positives and upward trajectory in his second year with the team, and is showing the high ceiling he once was tipped to have back in his draft year. Niot only has he highlighted his amazing balance of playmaking and goalscoring, his time in the NCAA has made him a leader, something which he will thrive on in the NHL, and had he play under coach Queeneville, his level of leadership and passion could be what Anaheim need to push to the next level.
Even though we are going to have to wait at least another year to see the reigning Hobey Baker winner lace up his skates in the NHL, it is without a doubt that these teams at the bottom like Anaheim will see that the positives outweigh the negatives in his game, and could be a very valuable asset to fuel the rebuild even further, and could be the consistent playmaker they need to replace Zegras, and make their lines that little bit better.
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