Cole Hutson’s Agent on Why Hutson Didn’t Get Height & Weight Measured at Combine

BUFFALO, N.Y. – This was curious.

94 2024 Draft prospects came to Buffalo to measure their heights and weights, among other things, at the NHL Scouting Combine…and only 92 were actually measured.

Defenseman Cole Hutson, USNTDP star and Boston University commit, was one of two prospects to not get his height and weight and wing span measured. The other was Adam Jiricek.

So what happened? Let’s try to get to the bottom of Hutson’s situation before any rumors take flight.

Hutson, Lane Hutson’s younger brother, enjoyed a banner Draft-eligible campaign, leading all USNTDP blueliners with 51 points. He capped off his year by pacing all U-18 World Junior Championships defensemen with 13 points, helping Team USA to a silver medal.

He was, however, playing through an ankle injury. So Hutson did not come to the Combine healthy.

“He went away to Montreal for five weeks, getting treatment all day and rehabbing,” Hutson’s agent Sean Coffey told San Jose Hockey Now via text. “He maybe could have done the upper-body tests, but the risk-reward profile just didn’t make sense.”

Hutson didn’t end up doing any fitness testing on Friday or Saturday.

But that still doesn’t explain why Hutson’s height, weight, and wing span weren’t recorded. According to the Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, Hutson is 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, but those are unverified figures.

Coffey, also San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith’s agent, put the blame on NHL Central Scouting, who runs testing.

Typically, this is what happens on Saturday, the main testing day during the Scouting Combine.

Before enduring the famous “obstacle course” of fitness tests, prospects head to the first station, which is a simple measurement of Height, Weight, and Wing Span.

Then, prospects embark on about 20 minutes of tests, from Horizontal Jump to Bench Press to Wingate, wrapping up by going upstairs to speak with the media.

“The Central Scouting guys were pissed that he didn’t test and told him to just come do media when guys were getting measured,” Coffey said. “I wouldn’t expect people to appreciate what he had to do to come back from his ankle injury.”

San Jose Hockey Now has reached out to Central Scouting for their side of the story.

Apparently, Hutson went back downstairs after his media session to try to get his height, weight, and wing span measured, but to no avail.

Coffey noted that Hutson interviewed with 14 teams at the Combine, including the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks do have a clear need to add high-end defensive prospects to their system.

Coffey said that if any NHL team requests the information, Hutson will get his height, weight, and wing span independently measured.