For the first time in program history Penn State hockey can truly say it has All-American caliber players as defenseman Cole Hults and forward Nate Sucese were both named to the CCM/AHCA second-team on Saturday night.
A first and second team is named for two separate regions (east and west) with Penn State falling in the west region. The teams are selected by all 60 Division I Men’s coaches, Hults and Sucese were the only two representatives from the Big Ten, in total 28 players were voted on to the various teams.
Penn State has had All-American nods from unofficial groups before, but never at the official level.
For Hults the news is the finishing touches to a long day after the junior opted to forgo his senior season and sign an entry-level deal with the LA Kings. Hults had previously been selected by the Kings during the 2017 NHL Draft. He leaves Penn State a year early as one of the program’s most complete players ever and one of the better defenseman in the nation over the past two seasons.
Hults is a finalist for both the Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The conference has not yet announced its season award winners.
Sucese recently signed an entry-level deal as well, this one for a single year with the Arizona Coyotes. During his senior season Sucese set a career-high with 38 points on 11 goals and a career-best 27 assists.
He leaves Penn State as the all-time leader in points (140) and goals (61) while ranking second in assists (79), shorthanded goals (5) and shots on goal (470) and a career plus-47 rating, good for fourth all-time as a Nittany Lion.
Scott Perunovich, a junior defenseman from Minnesota Duluth, won the 2020 Hobey Baker Award, also announced on Saturday. The award is given annually to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.
