Cole Hults Named 2019-20 Big Ten Hockey Player of the Year

Penn State defenseman Cole Hults was voted by conference coaches and media as both the 2019-20 Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Hults was also named the Team MVP and became one of the first-ever All-Americans in Penn State men's hockey history.

The accolades come as no surprise, as the junior blueliner completed one of his best seasons to date. Hults recorded a career-high 8 goals and 22 assists, the best among all defeseman in the Big Ten.

Hults was drafted by the LA Kings in the fifth round, 134th overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft. In April, Hults signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the LA Kings. He joins his fellow draft class signees Gabriel Vilardi, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Matt Villalta, Mikey Anderson, Markus Phillips and Drake Rymsha in turning pro.

"The last few years my game's only gotten better in what I do well," Hults said on a Kings video call. "I think going into school, I always had the simple mindset of wanting to get the pucks to the forwards. I like to compare my game to Ryan Suter's. He's a low-maintenance guy, obviously super-effective at what he does, but not too flashy, he won't stand out. But he's really good at what he does."