Aaron Huglen

Photo by: Bjorn Franke

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Photo by: Bjorn Franke

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Photo by: Eric Miller

Photo by: Matt Krohn

Photo by: Matt Krohn

Position:
Forward
Ht./Wt.:
6-0 / 180
Class:
Senior
Shoot/Catch:
R
Hometown:
Roseau, Minn.
High School:
Roseau HS
Previous Team:
Fargo (USHL)
NHL Rights:
Free Agent / Buffalo (2019)
Major:
Business and Marketing Education

PRONUNCIATION

• Signed first professional contract with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on April 7, 2025

2024-25 | SENIOR
Minnesota's Donald W. Clark Community Service Award
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
Academic All-Big Ten
• Served as an alternate captain and appeared in 38 games in his fourth and final season with the Gophers, reaching 150 for his career
• Totaled 19 points on five goals and 14 assists to help Minnesota win a Big Ten Conference regular season championship
• All five of his goals were scored in the first 19 games of the campaign
• Tallied 12 of his 19 points during 23 games of B1G action, while 13 came on games played on a Friday
• Posted a season-high two points on three occasions at Notre Dame (Nov. 22), versus Michigan (Dec. 6), and on Senior Night against Ohio State (Feb. 22)
• Scored his lone power-play goal of the year on the road at Notre Dame (Nov. 22) after having a shorthanded assist at Wisconsin (Nov. 8)
• Put away three of his five goals during a seven-game stretch between Nov. 22 and Dec. 14
• Recorded a season-long point streak of three games from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6
• Minnesota was 4-1-0 overall when he scored a goal and held a record of 13-2-1 when he reached the scoresheet this year
• Won 52.9 percent of faceoffs for the campaign, the highest percentage of any regular center, and registered 274 wins, the second most of any Gopher in 2024-25
• Registered six outings of double-digit faceoff wins with a season-high 17 at home against Michigan State (Dec. 13)
• Closed the campaign with a plus-4 rating, including a season-best plus-3 at home versus Alaska (Nov. 30)
• Suffered a season-ending injury in game three of the B1G Quarterfinals against Notre Dame (Mar. 9) and missed the NCAA Tournament
• Earned fourth letter

2023-24 | JUNIOR
Big Ten Conference Third Star of the Week (Feb. 13)
Minnesota's Donald W. Clark Community Service Award
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Academic All-Big Ten
• Took the ice in 37 games for the Gophers in his third campaign
• Registered a career high in goals and points with 13 and 21, respectively, to go with eight assists
• Closed the season with a point in eight of the final 11 outings and had 17 points in the last 23 games
• Tied for second on the team behind four game-winning goals, all four of which came in a 13-game span between Jan. 20 and Mar. 9
• Recorded the first multi-goal outing of his career against Penn State (Feb. 10)
• Named the B1G Third Star of the Week after putting up three points on two goals and an assist versus the Nittany Lions during a home sweep
• Found the back of the net in three-consecutive outings for the first time in his college career from Mar. 2-9
• Tied his career long with a four-game point streak between Feb. 9-17, totaling six points in that stretch
• Tallied his only two multi-point outings versus Penn State (Feb. 10) and at Notre Dame (Feb. 17) during that same point streak
• Scored his lone power-play goal on the road at Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 4)
• Won double-digit faceoffs seven times this year with a season-high 11 against Colorado College (Jan. 7)
• Tied for third among Minnesota forwards by blocking 21 shots
• Gophers owned a 12-4-3 record when he tallied a point and went 7-3-2 when he scored a goal
• Earned third letter

2022-23 | SOPHOMORE
Academic All-Big Ten
• Played 38 of 40 games in his second season, missing two due to illness in November
• Set new career highs in assists (10) and points (17), while matching his previous best goal total of seven
• Posted three multi-point performances, including a two-assist effort against Boston Univ. (Apr. 6) in the NCAA Frozen Four
• Gophers held a 10-4-0 record when he registered a point and a 5-2-0 mark when he scored a goal
• Excelled late in the season with points in eight of the final 15 games, totaling 10 points over that stretch
• Had goals in three in the last seven outings of the year
• Tallied a season-long point streak of three games between Jan. 21 and Jan. 28
• Held a plus-3 rating in games against Michigan State (Jan. 27) and Canisius (Mar. 23), finishing the campaign at plus-7
• Blocked a total of 18 shots from his center ice position
• Key piece of Minnesota's NCAA-leading offense that averaged 4.2 goals per game
• Part of the Gophers runner-up finish at the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four and a Big Ten Conference regular season championship
• Earned second letter

2021-22 | FRESHMAN
• Skated in 37 games as a freshman for the Gophers
• Recorded 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in his first campaign with the Maroon and Gold
• Helped the Gophers win the 2021-22 Big Ten Regular-Season Championship and advance to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2014
• Team was 12-0-0 when he tallied a point and 7-0-0 when he scored a goal
• Made his collegiate debut in a 7-4 win over Mercyhurst (Oct. 8)
• Recorded his first career point with a goal in a 4-3 overtime win at St. Cloud State (Oct. 16)
• Picked up his first career game-winning goal at Wisconsin in a 4-1 win (Nov. 6)
• Tallied three multi-point performances on the year, the first coming in a 4-2 win over Michigan State (Feb. 4)
• Scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in a 3-2 win at Ohio State (Feb. 11)
• Thrived at the NCAA Tournament assisting on the overtime winner in the opener against UMass (Mar. 25) and scored a goal in the regional final against Western Michigan (Mar. 27)
• Boasted a four-game point streak between Feb. 19 and Mar. 12
• Earned first letter

JUNIORS/HIGH SCHOOL
• Played in 67 career USHL regular-season games for the Fargo Force with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists), while adding nine points (three goals, six assists) in 11 playoff games
• Capped his junior career with 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 39 regular-season games during the 2020-21 season before leading the Force to the 2021 USHL Clark Cup finals with eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine playoff games
• Shared the team’s Ace Brandt Most Valuable Player honor with former Gopher Brennan Boynton
• Did not see action during the 2019-20 season due to injury
• Played in 28 regular-season USHL games during the 2018-19 season with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists), while adding one assist in two playoff games
• Previously spent three years as a prep standout at Roseau High School and captained the team in his final season
• 2019 Third Team All-State honoree and was a finalist for the 2019 Mr. Hockey Award, given to the most outstanding senior boys’ hockey player in the state of Minnesota

INTERNATIONAL
• Represented the United States at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

PERSONAL
• Son of Mike and Brenda Huglen
• Has two brothers (Paul, Jonah)
• Father, Mike, played hockey at Bethel
• Selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres
• Uncle, Mark Huglen, played hockey at Minnesota and North Dakota
• Uncle, Joe Esposito, is a long-time college basketball coach and previously served on Tubby Smith's staff at Minnesota
• Graduated from Minnesota in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing Education