{{short description|American ice hockey player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Cole Hults | image = Hults Cole.jpg | image_size = | caption = Hults with the Los Angeles Kings in 2021 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|5|22}} | birth_place = Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lb = 190 | position = Defense | shoots = Left | team = HC Bolzano | league = ICEHL | prospect_league = | prospect_team = | former_teams = Ontario Reign<br>Tucson Roadrunners<br>HKM Zvolen | ntl_team = | draft = 134th overall | draft_year = 2017 | draft_team = Los Angeles Kings | career_start = 2021 | career_end = }} '''Cole Bradley Hults''' (born May 22, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for HC Bolzano in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL).<ref name=elite>{{cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/300850/cole-hults|title=Cole Hults at eliteprospects.com|website=eliteprospects.com}}</ref> Hults was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round, 134th overall, of the 2017 NHL entry draft.
==Playing career== He played college hockey at Pennsylvania State University and was named to the Second All-AHCA Team after his junior season.<ref name="secondteamAHCA">{{cite web |title=Men's CCM/AHCA Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced |url=https://ahcahockey.com/news/1920/0411d1aa.php |website=ahcahockey.com |accessdate=April 11, 2020 |date=April 11, 2020}}</ref> Hults was selected 134th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL entry draft. On April 11, 2020, Hults signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Kings, forgoing his senior season at Penn State.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nhl.com/kings/news/cole-hults-signs-entry-level-contract-with-la-kings/c-316593736 | title = Cole Hults signs entry-level contract with LA Kings | publisher = Los Angeles Kings | date = April 12, 2020 | accessdate = April 12, 2020}}</ref>
In his first professional season, Hults was assigned by the Kings to AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, for the shortened 2020–21 season. He made 19 appearances on the blueline for the Reign, collecting 1 goal and 5 points.
On July 24, 2021, Hults was traded by the Kings, along with Bokondji Imama, to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Brayden Burke and Tyler Steenbergen.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nhl.com/coyotes/news/coyotes-acquire-imama-and-hults-from-kings/c-325777560 | title = Coyotes acquire Hults, Imama from Kings | publisher = Arizona Coyotes | date = July 24, 2021 | accessdate = July 24, 2021}}</ref>
Hults played one season within the Coyotes organization before leaving as a free agent to sign a one-year contract with Italian club, HC Bolzano of the ICEHL, on August 3, 2022. In signing with Bolzano, Hults joined his brother Mitch at the club.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.hcb.net/de/noch-ein-hults-fuer-den-hcb-cole-der-bruder-von-mitch-verstaerkt-die-abwehr-der-foxes/ | title = Another Hults for HCB | publisher = HC Bolzano | date = August 3, 2022 | accessdate = August 3, 2022 | language = Italian}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3" style="background:#fff;"| ! rowspan="99" style="background:#fff;"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" style="background:#fff;"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! Season !! Team !! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM |- | 2014–15 || Madison Capitols || USHL | 9 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 29 | — || — || — || — || — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2015–16 || Madison Capitols || USHL | 54 || 0 || 8 || 8 || 65 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2016–17 || Madison Capitols || USHL | 59 || 6 || 26 || 32 || 112 | — || — || — || — || — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2017–18 || Penn State || B1G | 38 || 3 || 17 || 20 || 43 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2018–19 || Penn State || B1G | 39 || 6 || 22 || 28 || 24 | — || — || — || — || — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2019–20 || Penn State || B1G | 34 || 8 || 22 || 30 || 18 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2020–21 || Ontario Reign|| AHL | 19 || 1 || 4 || 5 || 5 | — || — || — || — || — |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2021–22 || Tucson Roadrunners || AHL | 54 || 7 || 10 || 17 || 34 | — || — || — || — || — |- |2022–23 || HC Bolzano || ICEHL | 45 || 3 || 26 || 29 || 33 | 19 || 2 || 4 || 6 || 16 |- style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2023–24 || HKM Zvolen || Slovak | 50 || 9 || 27 || 36 || 35 | 10 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 6 |- style="background:#e0e0e0;" ! colspan="3"|AHL totals ! 73 !! 8 !! 14 !! 22 !! 39 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |}
==Awards and honors== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Award ! Year ! Ref |- ! colspan="3"|College |- | AHCA Second Team All-American | 2020 | <ref name="secondteamAHCA"/> |- | Big Ten Player of the Year | 2020 |rowspan="3"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bigten.org/news/2020/5/11/mens-ice-hockey-hockey-postseason-honors-announced.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513205515/https://bigten.org/news/2020/5/11/mens-ice-hockey-hockey-postseason-honors-announced.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |title=Hockey Postseason Honors Announced |website=Big Ten Conference |date=May 11, 2020 |access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> |- | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year | 2020 |- | All-Big Ten First Team | 2020 |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice Hockey Stats|nhl=8480217|elite=300850|espn=|euro=|hr=|hockeydb=178960|legendsm=|legends=|legendstype=|tsn=}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{succession box | before = Taro Hirose | title=Big Ten Player of the Year | years = 2019–20| after=Cole Caufield}} {{succession box | before = Sasha Larocque | title=Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year | years = 2019–20| after=Cam York}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hults, Cole}} Category:1998 births Category:Living people Category:AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Category:American men's ice hockey defensemen Category:HC Bozen–Bolzano players Category:Ice hockey players from Wisconsin Category:Los Angeles Kings draft picks Category:Madison Capitols players Category:Ontario Reign (AHL) players Category:Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey players Category:People from Stoughton, Wisconsin Category:Sportspeople from Dane County, Wisconsin Category:Ice hockey people from Madison, Wisconsin Category:Tucson Roadrunners players Category:HKM Zvolen players Category:21st-century American sportsmen