Glazing Lane Hutson

Even before making it to the NHL, Lane was winning awards, as NHL Central Scouting chose to give him the E.J. McGuire Award in May of 2022 ahead of the draft. This award is given to the draft prospect who best showcases commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism. Finally at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, Quebec, Lane Hutson was taken late in the 2nd round, being taken as the 62nd overall pick. At the NHL combine he was measured at 5'8”25” and weighed 158 pounds, which led the to many teams passing him up because of his size. The Canadiens took the gamble with him after he got passed up 61 times since Hutson was an exceptional offensive defender for the US National U18 Team at the NTDP that season where he used his size to his advantage.

The next season Hutson took the ice with one of NCAA's top hockey colleges, Boston University, where he didn't fail to disappoint. In 39 games with the Terriers he scored 48 points, going to the semifinals and making the Frozen Four. During this freshman year he led all defenders in scoring in Hockey East, set a record for the highest amount of points scored by a freshman defender in Hockey East, was named the Hockey East rookie of the year, won the Walter Brown award (given to the best american born male college player in New England), made the Hockey East All-Rookie team; Hockey East All-Star Team; and NCAA (East) First All-American Team. Hutson also was leading the average points per game in college defenders with 1.29, breaking Brian Leetch's record for most points by an under 19 defender. He didn't stop in his sophomore year as when the new season of 2023-24 rolled around he scored 49 points in 38 games, making the Hockey East All-Star Team and NCAA (East) First All-American Team again.

While he played in the NCAA for two years, he also represented Team USA twice in 2023 and 2024 during the World Junior Championships U20 tournament. He won bronze and gold during the short two weeks where he got to rep the red, white, and blue, playing a total of 7 games both years. He scored 1 goal and 3 assists in his first tournament, the second year gaining 6 assists as he celebrated winning gold in Gothenburg, Sweden. In Hutson's second tournament he led the team in ice time, averaging almost 24 minutes, while also having a plus minus of 8. He was a key part to the teams success as he gained himself a spot on the tourney's All-Star Team and was considered one of the teams top 3 players.

Then on April 12th, 2024 Lane Hutson signed his first contract with the Montreal Canadiens, playing his first two games against Detroit a few days later on April 15th and 16th. Both were losses in overtime and a shootout, however Hutson didn't back down, gaining an assist in both of his first games on NHL ice, averaging nearly 22 minutes. He continued to make an impact right away in his rookie season even with the team being at the bottom of the division in November of 2024, by December the Habs had picked it up, pushing to make playoffs. As discussed earlier Hutson did become rookie of the month twice in December and March, which happens to line up with two big pushes that the Habs made for the playoffs, as after the Four Nations break, the team kicked into gear. It took until their last game against the Carolina Hurricanes where the Habs won 4-2 to finally secure their spot in the playoffs in the last seed, set to face off against the top Eastern Conference Team, the Washington Capitals. 

Hutson may not have been the only factor that allowed for such a young team like the Habs to make the playoffs, but he certainly did play a big part and stepped up to a big role for the team, one of the funnest things to watch is how he quarterbacks powerplays, feeding assists to Patrik Laine, who the team added to the roster this season as well. While NHL playoffs are considered to be an entirely different beast compared to regular season hockey, it didn't take long for Lane to find his groove and make his mark. Whether it was deking past and holding hands with Ryan Leonard, or feeding passes during powerplays, he gained a total of five assists through the series. With these five assists he remained in the top three in points for rookies throughout the playoffs, the only two rooks that beat him were Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake from the Carolina Hurricane. The difference between the Habs and the Hurricanes, was the Canes made it all the way to the conference finals, proving that Hutson knows how to remain a top dog of the rest of his class even on an underdog team. The Habs never completed their fairytale run, losing in 5 games as expected, but their players did gain lots of experience as they begin to come out of their rebuild.