ROSEMONT, Ill. – The postseason honors continue to roll in for junior defenseman Cole Hults (Stoughton, Wis.) who was named both the 2019-20 Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as announced by the league office on Monday morning.
Hults becomes the first-ever Nittany Lion to be named the conference Player of the Year and just the third in the past seven seasons to earn a major conference award joining Guy Gadowsky who was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year following the 2014-15 season and 2017-18 Defensive Player of the Year, Trevor Hamilton.
Hults, who inked a two-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings back in April, was voted Team MVP as well as becoming one of the first-ever All-Americans in program history and was also named a First-Team All-CHN honoree.
The junior tied the Penn State single-season record for points by a defenseman with 30 this past season, a mark good for first in the Big Ten by blueliners and tenth nationally among defensemen. Hults' eight goals this season mark a new career-high while tying the Penn State single-season record for goals by a defenseman as well as pacing the conference. His 22 assists also led the Big Ten for blueliners and tied a career-best.
The Stoughton, Wisconsin native, started the season strong netting the eighth hat-trick in program history on opening night, the first-ever by a defenseman, and continued his stout play through Big Ten action with four goals and a league-leading 17 assists in 24 games ranking seventh in the conference with 21 points during conference play. Hults also led the entire Big Ten in plus/minus with a +23 rating, tied for sixth in the nation and fourth among blueliners.
Hults never missed a single game since stepping foot on campus in the fall of 2017 playing in 111-consecutive contests and with a +48 rating for his career, the junior ranks third all-time at Penn State. He is also the Nittany Lion career record holder for points and assists by a defenseman with 78 and 61, respectively, while his 17 goals place him second all-time for blueliners.
FULL BIG TEN RELEASE
