Marquette, MI – July 11th, 2025 – Isaac Howard began his collegiate career at Minnesota Duluth during the 2022 – 23 season. He decided to make a change for the following season and transferred to Michigan State University. Howard’s arrival launched a program swing from missing the NCAA tournament in 2022 – 23 to consecutive Big Ten Championships.
Howard also became the Nation’s leading scorer in the 2024 -25 season, exploding for 26 goals and 52 points over 37 games, ranked first nationally in points per game (1.41) and third in goals per game (0.70). Therefore, he clinched the Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Scoring Champion (33 points in 24 conference games), First-team Big Ten, and was the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
As you can tell, Howard won many awards, but the biggest being the Hobey Baker (Most Valuable Player). Howard had this to say after winning the Hobey Baker, but missing out on a national Championship, “I wanted to win a national championship. I didn’t play this season to win the Hobey.” His quote demonstrates how Howard is a team player and doesn’t care about personal stats. He just wants to win.
Howard’s ability to shine in clutch moments played a key role in winning this award. Howard scored the game-winning goal in double overtime, propelling MSU to back-to-back Big Ten Championships, a historic first in Big Ten history. Second, He delivered a massive 5-point weekend (4 goals and an assist) against Penn State, nearly breaking the school record.
While at MSU, Howard would also get the honor to play for his country as he was selected for the 2025 U.S. Men’s National Team, contributing assists during pool play at the IIHF World Championship, helping the U.S claim gold for the first time since 1933.
After having won the Hobey, earning every Big Ten honor, and gaining international gold, Isaac Howard was still planning on returning for his senior season, hoping to deliver MSU their first National Championship. That all changed Tuesday night, as Howard was traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Edmonton Oilers. Howard will forgo his final collegiate season and sign a three-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
