The award was created to promote amateur hockey in the United States by recognizing individuals who embody the Hobey Baker legacy through exceptional hockey skills, leadership, character, sportsmanship and academic achievement. It is awarded each year to the best men’s ice hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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Citara joined the Nanooks hockey program in 2025 after spending his first four seasons at Providence College and Merrimack College.
“Michael is a forward who plays with intensity and has the ability to shoot a puck,” said Nanooks head coach Erik Largen. “He is also a humble and motivated person who fits well into our group.”
The 5-11, 188-pound right-handed pitcher played for the Sioux Falls Stampede before making the jump to the NCAA. With the Stampede in the USHL, he skated in 51 games and scored 35 points, 17 goals and 18 assists.
His first season with Providence was 2021-22; He appeared in 28 games as a rookie and recorded 4 points, including 3 goals and 1 assist. The following year, he appeared in eight games, scoring a goal and an assist for two points.
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He transferred to Merrimack in 2023-24 and recorded a career-high as a freshman. He appeared in 31 games and scored six goals and added nine assists for 15 points. Last season he skated in nine games and scored one goal.
Players are nominated for the Hobey Baker Award by their NCAA Division 1 head coaches. During the first part of the process, hockey fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite players, which will continue until April 10.
After the initial voting, Price Waterhouse Coopers tabulates the votes and narrows the field to the top 10 candidates. Then voting begins for the “Hobey Hat Trick,” which consists of reducing the field from 10 players to three, from which the winner is chosen.
Primary voting in this portion of the selection process is conducted by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Selection Committee, a geographically balanced group of 29 individuals representing print and electronic sports media, college hockey coaches and officials, and NHL scouts.
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Fans can also vote online for their favorite candidate during this phase of the process. After the three finalists for the award (“Hobey Hat Trick”) are announced, the countdown begins toward the announcement of the award winner in a nationally televised ceremony.
Citara, 23, started playing hockey at age 3. Two years later, at the age of 5, he joined the Philadelphia Generals Mites program at Face Off Circle in Warminster.
His early career included playing AAA hockey for the Glaciers in Face Off and with several travel teams, including the New Jersey Colonials, Mercer Chiefs, ISS Kings and JR Flyers. During his senior year of high school, Citara transferred from Central Bucks East to Mount Saint Charles in Rhode Island to continue his hockey activities.
In 2018, Citara was drafted by the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders of the USHL. His official start in the league was delayed until the 2020 season due to school and the COVID-19 pandemic. Then a derecho storm damaged the Cedar Rapids track in 2020, prompting the Sioux Falls Stampede to acquire it. Citara played one season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before starting college.
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Citara attended Providence College for two seasons as of 2021 before transferring to Merrimack College. He completed his bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice at Merrimack, where he played two seasons of hockey. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he plays for the Nanooks hockey team. During the summer, Citara returns home to train on and off the ice.
Community members can support Michael Citara’s nomination by voting daily through April 10. Votes can be cast by texting code 26081 to 844-623-9688. Each person can cast one vote per day. To read about the players nominated for the award, click here.
Buckingham hockey player nominated for prestigious Hobey Baker Award originally appeared on Doylestown Patch