Penn State hockey defenseman Trevor Hamilton signed a one-year contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL on Thursday afternoon.

Senior @thamilton11 has signed a one-year contract with @griffinshockey of the AHL for the 2018-19 season! Thank you Trevor for everything you gave to this program over the past two seasons!

Read https://t.co/iNixUH5Jyq pic.twitter.com/Uc2H26O0UU

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 29, 2018

Hamilton will join the Griffins — the minor-league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings — at the beginning of the 2018-19 season and will likely attend the Red Wings’ development camp in the summer.

“Playing professional hockey is something I have always dreamed about,” Hamilton said in a release. “These last two years at Penn State have been the best of my life, without my teammates, the coaching staff and the extended staff I wouldn’t be where I am today and I am forever grateful that Penn State gave me this opportunity.”

The Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, native will stay close to home to start his professional hockey career; his hometown is just over two hours away from Grand Rapids. The 2017-18 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year finishes his Penn State career with a program-record 216 blocked shots, 12 goals, and 43 assists. His 55 points rank third in program history for a defenseman. He led the nation in blocked shots during both of his seasons at Penn State.

Hamilton’s journey to signing his first professional contract was long and winding, as he played for five different teams before arriving in Hockey Valley ahead of the 2016-17 season. He joined the University of Miami (OH) after playing for the US National Development Program Team, but burned two of his four seasons of NCAA eligiblity. Two more years in the USHL saw him play for three different teams, but he finally found some stability in his two seasons at Penn State.