The 20-year-old goaltender from the Czech Republic was in his first season in the NCAA with Ohio State University. Drafted in the 5th round (136th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Dobes put up some impressive numbers in his rookie year. He finished the season with a 21-12-2 record, maintaining a .934 save percentage and a 2.26 goals against average.
In addition to the honor, Dobes won the divisional goalkeeper of the year award and was also nominated for the Mike Richter Trophy, given to the top goalkeeper in the NCAA.
He was also named Rookie of the Year, tied with Luke Hughes, by the Big Ten Division leaders.