Hudson Ward isn’t doing a great job of avoiding the Canadian stereotypes.

If there’s anything his teammates with Penn State men’s basketball know about Ward, it’s how much he loves hockey. The three-star recruit, now a freshman on campus, made sure everyone knew how much he loved his Edmonton Oilers during their Stanley Cup Finals run earlier in the spring.

“Awesome kid. Great to be around,” Penn State assistant coach Jimmy Martelli said about Ward on Thursday. “When he first got here, the Oilers were still making that playoff run, so it was all about hockey for him.”

The 6’7″ forward with a deep voice was a late addition to Penn State’s recruiting class, though he’s done a good job of fitting in with the rest of the group. The hockey stuff was a good way to get to know his teammates off the court.

“We were talking about and he said he actually plays hockey because he’s a really good hockey player,” forward Puff Johnson said. “It’s definitely like a cool thing to get to know someone that type of level. It’s like, ‘Wow, like I didn’t know that you also could be a Division I player in hockey.'”

On the court, Ward has taken strides in his development. He’s one of four freshmen who aren’t walk-ons on Penn State’s roster this season. Coming to college has been an adjustment for his playing style, but he’s slowly learning how to play at his highest level yet.

Ward spent plenty of time in the United States playing basketball before he came to Penn State. While he might rather spend his time at Penn State competing for Guy Gadowsky in Pegula Ice Arena, Ward made the decision to lean into basketball around eighth grade. In his words: “I got really tall.”

Playing AAU ball in high school allowed Ward to compete at a higher level, though the switch to college has been intense. However, both Johnson and Martelli said the freshman has shown off his work ethic.

“He plays super hard. He only has one speed, which we got to slow him down a little bit, but there have been days in practice where you can still tell it’s already starting to click,” Martelli said. “‘Okay, I got to slow down a little bit. I don’t have to go 100 miles an hour.’

“But you’d rather have it that way. He’s gonna be a good addition for us as a freshman and he’s got a lot of basketball ahead of him and a lot of growth.”

Ward said he’s learned plenty about his defensive game thus far. He’s had the chance to work alongside the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Ace Baldwin Jr. Baldwin, despite the noticeable difference in their size, has been a great mentor. “Defense is defense,” according to Ward.

Ward is far from the finished product. Penn State’s roster is veteran-heavy, so there won’t be too many opportunities to see Ward on the floor this season.

Despite this, he’s still working hard at improving his defense and three-point shooting. His work ethic stands out to those who play with him. One day, Hudson Ward may be much more than the team’s in-house hockey obsessor.

“He’s doing good. He’s really taking what the coaches are teaching them and he’s putting it to use and he works really hard with his head down every day and just works hard the best he can,” Johnson said. “That’s all you can ask especially from a freshman, especially someone coming into a new environment. It’s all you can ask for. He’s doing a great, awesome job.”