Joey Mullen's Son Signs With Kings

Joey Mullen had a fabulous NHL career. He played 16 seasons in the league, and he was the first American-born player to attain 500 goals and 1,000 career points. His career earned him induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

Joey Mullen's son, Patrick, has just completed a solid college career at the University of Denver. Unlike his father, who made a name for himself as a top forward, Patrick Mullen flipped back and forth between forward and defense during his four-year college career. His solid play, and willingness to do whatever the team needed him to do, earned him a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings.

Patrick Mullen spent the entire 2008-2009 season working as a defenseman. The Pioneers were short of experienced players at the position, and Mullen had played on the blue line off and on while at DU. He played 38 games for the Pioneers, scoring four goals and picking up 21 assists. He scored 20 goals and had 81 total points in 158 games at Denver.

He was also named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Team twice during his four years.

As anticipated, longtime Denver head coach George Gwozdecky was very complimentary of Mullen.

"Patrick made significant contributions to our team as a defenseman this season. He's really evolved as a defenseman and the sky is the limit for his ability at the professional level. We wish him all the best during his pro hockey career."

Mullen's not a big guy, but he plays with great passion and has more than enough skill to handle pro hockey. It will greatly benefit him to play forward in the pros, as opposed to switching back and forth. Credit him, though. He never once complained publicly about his positional flip-flopping in college, and he played his defensive post well in his senior year.