Blue White Illustrated

C ole Hults made Penn State history in May when he became the first Nittany Lion to be named Big Ten Player of the Year. A junior defenseman who recently announced plans to forgo his final colle- giate season, Hults was also honored as Defensive Player of the Year when the league announced its postseason awards on May 11. Hults became only the third Penn Stater in the program's eight- year varsity history to earn a major confer- ence award, joining Guy Gadowsky, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year fol- lowing the 2014-15 season, and Trevor Hamilton, who was named Defensive Player of the Year for the 2017-18 season. Hults, who signed a two-year entry- level contract with the Los Angeles Kings in April, 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 10th nation- ally among defensemen. He had a career- high eight goals, tying the Penn State single-season record for goals by a de- fenseman and pacing the conference. His 22 assists also led the Big Ten for bluelin- ers and tied a career best. The Stoughton, Wis., 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-lead- ing 17 assists in 24 games, ranking sev- enth in the conference with 21 points during league play. Hults also led the Big Ten in plus/minus rating at +23, tied for sixth in the nation and fourth among blueliners. Hults never missed a single game after first stepping foot on campus in the fall of 2017, playing in 111 consecutive con- tests with a +48 rating for his career. He is 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 blue- liners. In addition to his Player of the Year honors, Hults was one of two Nittany Lions to receive first-team All-Big Ten honors, joining senior center Nate Sucese. Hults and Sucese became only the fifth and sixth first-team All-Confer- ence honorees in Penn State history. Three other Lions received All-Big Ten honors, as junior forward Evan Barratt landed on the second team, while junior forward Alex Limoges and senior goalie Peyton Jones were honorable mention choices. Sophomore forward Aarne Talvi- tie was named the team's sportsmanship award honoree. Talvitie committed just one minor penalty all season while regis- tering six goals and 13 assists for 19 points. Penn State now has 29 All-Big Ten hon- orees in its history. The Lions have had at least two selections each year dating back to the 2014-15 season. ■ PSU's Hults named Big Ten Player of the Year JONES INKS AHL DEAL Senior goal- tender Peyton Jones became the sixth Nittany Lion to sign a professional contract this off-season after agree- ing to terms on a two-year, one-way American Hockey League deal with the Colorado Eagles, set to begin with the 2020-21 season. Colorado was granted membership as an expansion team in the AHL beginning with the 2018-19 season and is an affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. "We are extremely happy for Pey- ton," Penn State head coach Guy Gad- owsky said. "Through an incredible level of commitment to improving every day as an athlete and a student, Peyton has done so much for the suc- cess of our hockey program and has set standards that we hope are lived up to for many years to come." Jones jumped into the starting role between the pipes as a freshman, be- coming the program's first everyday goalie following four seasons in which goalies split time. The Lang- horne, Pa., native seized the oppor- tunity and never looked back, graduating from Penn State with 14 program records. Jones leaves as the school's all- time wins leader. He registered a 76- 44-11 career record, including a single-season-record 23 wins during a freshman campaign in which he was named the Big Ten tournament's Most Outstanding Player. TEAM CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED Rising senior Alex Limoges was voted cap- tain for the Nittany Lions' 2020-21 season, while rising junior classmates Aarne Talvitie and Paul DeNaples will serve as alternates. Limoges becomes the eighth Nit- tany Lion in program history to don the "C," as he will be wearing a letter for the first time in his Penn State ca- reer next season. This past season, Limoges ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 32 points on 11 goals and 21 as- sists in 30 games, while his 1.07 points per game average was good for second in the conference and 26th nationally. Talvitie and DeNaples will also be wearing a letter for the first time in their Nittany Lion careers come Oc- tober, but both have had prior leader- ship responsibilities during their hockey careers. Talvitie served as captain for Team Finland, leading it to a gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, while De- Naples wore the "C" during his last season with the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2017-18. ■ M E N ' S I C E H O C K E Y HULTS N O T E B O O K

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