Mar 26, 2025 , 12:13 AM
BRIAN PREECE
SALT LAKE CITY – 2007 NHL draft first-round pick and two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Ian Cole has been a consistent, steadying force in his first season on the Utah Hockey Club backline.
The 14-year NHL veteran is one of seven players to appear in every game, joining Michael Kesslering as the only defenders in that group. His 20:19 ice time per night is third behind Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.
 
 
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On the opening day of free agency, Utah HC general manager Bill Armstrong began reimagining the team with a flurry of signings.
Among those additions was veteran defenseman Ian Cole. The club inked the Ann Arbor, Michigan, native to a one-year deal.
Following two seasons in the United States National Team system, Ian Cole became the highest-drafted hockey player in Notre Dame history. The St. Louis Blues selected Cole with the 18th pick of the NHL draft’s first round in 2007
✅ First Round @NHL draft pick
✅ Irish All-American
✅ Notre Dame graduate
✅ Two-time Stanley Cup Champion
🎥 Here's a look at Ian Cole's Road to the NHL!
☘️ | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/REEy065rZu
— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) June 21, 2018

Cole enjoyed a three-year career with the Fighting Irish, becoming one of the program’s most heralded student-athletes. He began his Notre Dame career by helping the Irish reach the 2008 Frozen Four championship game.
The 2007 World Under-18 silver medalist finished his collegiate career with 17 goals and 48 assists in 111 games. He became the first Irish defenseman since 1999 to earn All-America honors.
Cole signed with the Blues in 2010 and made his first NHL appearance with St. Louis on November 6, 2010.
He bounced between the American Hockey League’s Peoria Rivermen and St. Louis for three years before playing a career-high 74 games in 2014-15. Cole was introduced to the NHL experience when he was traded from St. Louis to Pittsburgh on March 2, 2015. He played 167 games with the Blues.
Ian Cole records a goal for the first time since June 6 (in the Stanley Cup Final 😉). pic.twitter.com/tnJEWdhm1w
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 15, 2016

His ice-time increased by nearly three and a half minutes after landing in Pittsburgh.
Cole was valuable in the Penguins’ 2016 title chase, averaging 17:14 on ice in 70 games. He added 25 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup Title. His consistency resulted in Cole’s first playoff goal in Pittsburgh’s 2016 Stanley Cup Final Game Four.
The Penguins went on to win the series in six games. Cole and the Pens followed with a second-straight Stanley Cup title in 2017. He contributed nine assists in 25 games during the run.
2x Stanley Cup Champ & veteran Ian Cole on Utah’s mindset: “We’ve got to win every single game…we’ve got to focus on every individual game.”
“You can scoreboard watch, you can do the math & worry about what’s going on externally, or you can focus on each individual game.” pic.twitter.com/2vcL2yuAwr
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 20, 2025

From 2017 to 2024, Cole spent time with five different franchises. He bounced from Pittsburgh to the Columbus Blue Jackets (6 games), Colorado Avalanche (27 games), Minnesota Wild ( 7 games), Carolina Hurricanes (14 games), Tampa Bay Lightning (6 games), and Vancouver Canucks (13 games).
On March 5, 2025, Cole agreed to a one-year extension through 2025-26 with the Utah Hockey Club.
“Ian’s championship pedigree, work ethic, and leadership on and off the ice are valuable assets to our group, and we’re thrilled to have him remain with our organization as we fight for a playoff spot,” GM Bill Armstrong said.
Fans can follow Cole on Instagram.
The Utah Hockey Club faces the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of Saturday’s 6-4 Utah HC win. The puck drops at 5 p.m. MT.
Utah Hockey Club games can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on the KSL Sports app or 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule. 
Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. Listen to Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Find KSLSports.com coverage of the Utah Hockey Club here.
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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24. 

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