It didn’t take long for one of the most exciting prospects in franchise history to make his mark, as Lane Hutson has already registered his name to an NHL scoresheet.
The explosive prospect used his elite vision and top-notch playmaking to create time and space for himself during his second shift in the National Hockey League. Hutson eventually put the puck on net, where veteran Brendan Gallagher took advantage of the chaos to score his 14th goal of the year.
The play gave the Montreal Canadiens a 1-0 lead over a Detroit Red Wings team that is desperate to qualify for the playoffs and is running out of time to do so.
Hutson, 20, doesn’t have to worry about pressure, even though he is one of the most hyped players in the organization. His coach, Martin St-Louis, ensured the young defenceman would head into Monday’s game with one objective: have fun.
Hutson signed his entry-level contract last week following Boston University’s elimination from the NCAA’s Frozen Four Championship, a 2-1 loss against the eventual National Champions, the Denver Pioneers.
The top-rated defenceman scored an impressive 15 goals and 33 assists in 39 games during his first year of NCAA action, breaking, and consequently, setting a bevy of league records. He followed it up with yet another fantastic year from a production standpoint, improving his scoring pace by earning 15 goals and 34 assists in 38 games with the Terriers during the 2023-24 campaign.
Lane Hutson was chosen in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, however, he was only chosen 62nd overall, which means every team, including the Canadiens, passed on him multiple times.
There will be plenty of time for looking back at the mistakes teams made by ignoring him, but in the meantime, Canadiens fans can confidently state they have one of the most promising players in the NHL on their team.
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