LAS VEGAS – The best player in college hockey plans on playing in Detroit – eventually.
Minnesota Duluth's Max Plante, who won the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player, says he plans on returning to the Bulldogs for his junior season in 2026-27 instead of joining the Detroit Red Wings organization, which selected him in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Plante recorded 52 points over 40 games for the Bulldogs and was also named a first-team All-American during the Hobey Baker ceremony at the Park MGM Hotel in Las Vegas on Friday, April 10.
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"I'm not planning on going [to the Red Wings], I'm planning on coming back next year," he said after the ceremony, crediting the arrival of his younger brother Victor Plante in Duluth next season as a key reason for his return. With his older brother Zam Plante already on the Bulldogs, the three Plante brothers look to lead a talented Minnesota Duluth roster next season.
The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament before falling, 4-3, to the 1-seed Michigan Wolverines in Albany, New York, one win short of making the Frozen Four. Plante said that winning a national championship is a high priority for him coming into next season.
"To play with two brothers at that high a level, to try to achieve something I haven't achieved yet in winning a championship, that's the goal that I had coming into college hockey," he said. "It's a super-special place to be, and I just wanted to give it one last shot."
The Wings have already lured one college star to the pros, as Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine (a South Lyon native) opted to sign an entry-level contract (which will kick in next season) after his Spartans were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Augustine was also honored on Friday, winning the Mike Richter Award as the top college goalie this season.
He didn't receive the award in person, however, as he had another milestone: He made his first pro start, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur tryout contract. Augustine gave up three goals on 29 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves, the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate.
Though the Red Wings will have to wait another year before getting Plante into their system, it doesn't seem like they're in a rush to do so.
"Detroit left it up to me," he said. "Obviously, it was probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but going with my gut I feel like this is the right thing to do."
The 20-year-old Minnesota native showed gratitude to the Red Wings for how they have treated his college process and said he looks forward to joining the league one day.
"It's unbelievable to show just how much trust the Red Wings have in not only me, but also Duluth to keep me going and pushing me to be at that next level," he said.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Max Plante, Hobey Baker winner, won't join Detroit Red Wings in 2026