“Fun” isn’t a scouting metric.
But, man, if it was, Lane Hutson would be the top prospect in hockey.
After two years of watching with bated breath, the Montreal Canadiens are expected to sign Lane Hutson to his entry-level contract, allowing him to see action during at least some of the team’s final three games of the 2023-24 NHL regular season.
It’ll burn a year of his ELC, but after putting up one of the most impressive careers from a U-20 college defenseman in decades, it’s a worthy reward.
Hutson finished his sophomore campaign with the NCAA’s Boston University Terriers with 15 goals and 49 points in 38 games, a single point more than his freshman total last year. Since 2019-20, only two defensemen have more points than Hutson’s 97 – Zach Metsa’s 117 and Jackson LaCombe’s 99. The difference? They played double the games, and nobody came in spitting distance of Hutson’s 1.28 point-per-game average.
Hutson could have stuck in school and built one of the most incredible college resume’s ever seen. Instead, he’s ready for the next step. At 5-foot-10, comments about Hutson’s small frame have been well-documented. But at the college level – where teams love to load up with big bodies on the backend – it didn’t seem to slow down Hutson.
From an early age, his offensive instincts were top of the class. You won’t find defensemen with Hutson’s creativity often – he’s so slick, often taking the puck from a standstill and creating a chance in close, a la Cale Makar. Hutson is a human highlight reel – he spins with ease, and with quick footwork, he’s so difficult to stop. He’s incredibly deceptive, using head fakes to lure you in before making a high-impact move.
We’re talking about a guy who plays like a fourth forward out there.
“He’s the weight shift fake move king,” a scout said. “Kids in college, pros at the worlds, he makes them look stupid with how crafty and deceptive he is. Even some of the smartest college players had a difficult time knowing where he was going to go. You just don’t see it from a kid his age often. He’s ahead of his peers in that regard.”
Few defenders handle the puck like Hutson. That’s especially evident on the power play, where he tends to do a lot of his damage. He uses his fake-outs to his advantage with the extra space, but he’s also just a generally great puck distributor. Hutson had the opportunity to set up guys like Cutter Gauthier, Logan Cooley, Frank Nazar and Jimmy Snuggerud with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. At BU, Hutson was Macklin Celebrini’s premier set-up master en route to one of the best seasons by a 17-year-old in NCAA history.
Don’t let revisionist history confuse you – size wasn’t the only concern for scouts heading into the draft. It was a major thing, for sure, given he was just 5-foot-8. But his defensive game was a bit of a mess, and that got amplified early in his college career and again at the World Championship last spring. There used to be a time where once he was beat, it was over. He was done for. But that’s been one of the most improved areas of his game over the past year. He’s got an active stick, takes space away and is much more willing to challenge opponents along the boards.
Compared to this time 12 months ago, Hutson is much better at reading D-zone plays and distributing the puck safely. He’ll need to get better in 1-on-1 rush situations against more skilled NHLers, but if you’re pairing him with someone a bit more defensively inclined – David Reinbacher, perhaps? – it won’t be as big of an issue.
“He’s still a work in progress defensively, but the overall upside here is incredible, maybe better than any other defensive prospect right now,” another scout said. “You wish he could be stronger, put more fire behind his shot. But he’s so shifty and deceitful and players have struggled to figure him out.”
Montreal’s long-term blueline outlook is extremely promising. Michael Matheson is a solid No. 1 veteran, while Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble and Justin Barron are all notable youngsters in their 20s. Logan Mailloux was one of the AHL’s most impressive rookie defenders, while Reinbacher – taken fifth overall in 2023 – will be in North America full-time next year. And that doesn’t include Bogdan Konyushkov, who had a tremendous season in the KHL, or even longshots Adam Engstrom and William Trudeau.
So there’s some competition to overcome, for sure. It’ll be interesting to see how the Habs manage his development next year because, like with Reinbacher, there’s an argument to be made that he could benefit from a year in the AHL. Hutson is skilled, but still has his flaws, and it’s not like the Canadiens need him to take the team to the promised land. At 19 years old, there’s absolutely no reason to rush Hutson if he’s not 100 percent comfortable with the assigned task.
But, man. It’s an exciting time for Habs fans. Few prospects lift fans out of their seats like Hutson has the past few years, and the Bell Centre faithful have been waiting.
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