

After representing United States in the 1986 World Championships held in Moscow Hull signed a one-way three-year contract in May 1986. During his sophomore year in college he was picked up by Brian Burke, a future NHL execute who was a player agent at the time. Hull was drafted to the NHL by the Calgary Flames in 1984. In 2006 UMD honored him by retiring his jersey. Following his sophomore year, he was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team and nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Hull was able to adjust to college hockey and was named WCHA Rookie of the Year in his freshman year. In Duluth he improved his work ethic, conditioning and skating under the watchful eye of coach Mike Sertich who emphasized the importance of skating. Hull worked hard on and off the ice and managed to secure a college scholarship with the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) after breaking the BCJHL scoring and point record previously held by future NHLers Cliff Ronning and John Newberry. Gustafson only played a handful of games with the Knights, but the ever so lazy and out of shape Hull managed to stay with the team and turn his life around. His friend Ally Cook had made the team before the camp and was slated to be one of the Knights' top players, but eventually ended up being traded to the New Westminster Royals after falling out with coach Rick Kozuback, who Cook had convinced to give his friends try outs. He made the cut on the Penticton training camp thanks to his father's fame and the marketing possibilities it offered. Hull was initially reluctant, but his mother Joanne pushed her son to give hockey another try. In August 1982, Hull's friend and former North Shore Winter Club teammate Ally Cook had managed to get him and their mutual friend Peter Gustafson try outs with the BCJHL Penticton Knights. Despite being in poor physical shape and enjoying the life of a party he did make it back to play hockey.

It took a decade for the family relations to improve. He did not enjoy the wealth of his father, who had little contact with him or the family after the divorce. Hull had given up playing hockey in the early 1980s, only playing it in a local rec league. Hull was considered talented also in baseball thanks to his powerful swing, but found hockey more interesting. He was slated to play major junior hockey in the WHL and later on in the QMJHL, but he never played major junior hockey. He played bantam and midget hockey with the North Shore Winter Club. Hull moved to North Vancouver, BC, with his mother Joanne McKay, a former figure skater, in the late 1970s after his parents had divorced.

of Minnesota-Duluthīrett Hull, the son of Bobby Hull, grew up watching his father play in the NHL and the WHA. of Minnesota-DuluthĬult/Star player for Univ.
