Penn State men’s hockey defenseman Trevor Hamilton has played some of the best hockey of his career through the first 24 games of the 2017-18 season.

Offensively, Hamilton is having a tremendous season and is currently tied with Brandon Biro with the second-most points on the team with 22. His 18 assists also ranks second on the team behind Andrew Sturtz (19), but he’s put up fantastic numbers without sacrificing a sound, defensive game. The Grosse Pointe Farms, MI native has shown a willingness to fill shooting lanes throughout his Penn State career and leads the team with 54 blocked shots this season.

“He started [the season] extremely well and kept it going,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said Tuesday. “He doesn’t have to get a point all year and he’s still going to be one of your best defensemen. He’s a warrior. He blocks the toughest shots, he makes the hardest hits, he wins the toughest battles. The fact that he’s playing so well on the offensive side of the puck is really good to see, but don’t get me wrong, he isn’t sacrificing defense for offense.”

Over the course of the past few weeks, Hamilton has seen most of his ice time alongside James Gobetz. The sophomore has played well alongside Penn State’s No. 11, but he credits a lot of that to his partner.

“Trevor’s helped me a lot,” Gobetz said. “He’s a great D-partner, he puts up points, he moves the puck out of our end pretty easily, and he’s really solid defensively. He helps me out a lot and I’m really happy to play with him.”

Before beginning his Penn State career, Hamilton played for the United States National Development Team from 2011 to 2013. This program has NHL fingerprints all over it and gave scouts a chance to check out the defenseman’s game and is the same program that freshman center Evan Barratt played for last season. Hamilton was 16 when he first joined the team and took a lot away from the experience.

“Yeah, it definitely helped me,” Hamilton said. “When you go there, you’re young and they try to get you into the best shape possible. It was a great two years there and it definitely prepared me for life and hockey as well.”

After finishing last season with six goals and 20 assists while playing in all of the team’s 39 games, Hamilton has stepped up his production and seems poised to set new career highs in goals, assists, and points. Modest as ever, the defenseman gives all the praise to his teammates for his increased numbers.

“I give a lot of credit to the guys I play with, guys like Andrew Sturtz and Denis Smirnov,” he said. “My teammates are all great players and I credit a lot of my success to them.”

Hamilton and the No. 12 Nittany Lions are back in action this weekend against a red-hot Michigan squad at Yost Ice Arena. Puck drop for game one of the series is at 8 p.m. Friday and will be telecast on the Big Ten Network.