The Montreal Canadiens are getting some help to close out the regular season. Sensational defenseman Lane Hutson will leave college to join the Canadiens, signing his three-year entry-level deal on Friday.
Boston University suffered a bitter defeat Thursday night in the semifinals of the Frozen Four. With Denver moving on to the final, two Canadiens prospects—left-shot defenseman and offensive dynamo Lane Hutson and senior Luke Tuch—became free to sign with the team. Hutson could have decided to return to BU for another season, but he has elected to sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.
Montreal just announced the signature of the blueliner, and it comes into effect this season, which means Hutson will be joining the Canadiens to finish the season and burn the first year of the contract. This season, as a sophomore with BU, he gathered 15 goals and 34 assists for 49 points in 38 games. He ranked first in points amongst the NCAA defensemen, tied with Zeev Buium. With a 1.29 point per game average, he was among the top-10 Hobey Baker nominees, a trophy won by new teammate Cole Caufield in 2021.
Hutson was a part of the Team USA World Junior teams that won bronze in 2023 and gold in 2024. He was the backbone of their defensive corps. Something Montreal hopes he will be for them for years to come.
If Hutson’s game can translate as well to the NHL as it did in the NCAA, the Canadiens fans are in for a thrill. We should see soon enough how well he can adapt. The 5-foot-10, 162-lb rearguard will likely play his first game on Monday night in Detroit, Michigan, a town mere hours away from the town of Holland, where he was born.
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