He played major junior for the Belleville Bulls and the Windsor Spitfires from 1985 to 1989. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose him 69th overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Hulst turned pro at the end of the 1988-89 season with the Flint Spirits and the Newmarket Saints. Starting in 1989-90 he played in the American Hockey League until he retired in 2001. He played for the Saints, New Haven Nighthawks, Portland Pirates, and the Providence Bruins. In his last year (2000-01) he won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award.