Introduction
It is hard to find an adjective that hasn’t been used to describe Lane Hutson since his draft day in 2022. His two years in the NCAA saw him rise up from the scouting world’s favourite undersized prospect to one of the most dominant offensive defencemen to ever play in the NCAA. At every level, he has done nothing but prove doubters wrong.
He was in a second-pairing role in his first NCAA season, with top power-play duties. People wondered if he could continue to be a strong producer when he had to take over on the first pair in his sophomore year, but he came out and did just that for the Boston University Terriers. Unfortunately, in both years, BU came up short of the goal of an NCAA title.
Habs fans waited with bated breath to see if Hutson would make the jump to the NHL or return for a third NCAA season to try again for a national championship. Their fears were quickly put to rest as he signed his entry-level contract, joining the team for two games to end the season in which he posted a pair of assists. It wasn’t so much the points that excited the fans in those games, but that all the sizzle and flash from the NCAA carried directly over to the highest level.
The expectations are obviously high for him as he heads into his first full professional season, and rightly so. However, it’s easy to feel at ease about his debut season when we remember one simple fact: all Hutson does is prove doubters wrong again and again.
At every level it is astonishing that he just produces around a point-per-game pace, even moreso when you consider that he’s a defenceman. He topped his historic NCAA scoring pace in one less game last year, while also managing an increased point total at World Juniors. His two assists in two games for the Habs to end the season were a fantastic cherry on top of an incredible season.
Voting
The voting for Hutson was intensely focused, with all of the EOTP staff having him either fourth or fifth, while the two community members placed him at eighth. There is no reason to believe he is incapable of cracking top three with a great 2024-25 season.
Even among our community votes, he was firmly wedged between fourth and seventh on most of the ballots. Some placed him as low as 15th, and others at first.
Top 25 Under 25 History
| 2023: #6 | 2022: #13 |
History of #5
| Year | #5 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Juraj Slafkovský |
| 2022 | Kirby Dach |
| 2021 | Kaiden Guhle |
| 2020 | Mattias Norlinder |
| 2019 | Nick Suzuki |
| 2018 | Charles Hudon |
| 2017 | Charles Hudon |
| 2016 | Artturi Lehkonen |
| 2015 | Charles Hudon |
| 2014 | Michaël Bournival |
| 2013 | Brendan Gallagher |
| 2012 | Nathan Beaulieu |
| 2011 | Nathan Beaulieu |
| 2010 | Louis Leblanc |
Strengths
Hutson is arguably the most creative defensive prospect that Montreal has had in several decades. Yes, potentially moreso than P.K. Subban or the cerebral Andrei Markov. Hutson isn’t just a guy who is part of the play, he is the one who makes the plays happen on a regular basis.
His game is built around his incredible ability to manipulate opposing defences into creating an opening that might not have existed before. He will cut on a dime, dashing back in the opposite direction with the puck still glued to his stick while his opponent is scrambling to recover. It’s never the same attacking pattern either. He mixes in head fakes along with shoulder dips to masterfully disguise his intentions.
After the deception to create opportunities, it’s what he does with them next that makes him truly special. He constantly scans the zone as he creates lanes and angles of attack, and then rapidly makes use of them. He’ll put passes into tight spaces for his teammates, or call his own number to cut to the net and neatly tuck the puck behind a goaltender.
Weaknesses
Being a smaller player forced Hutson to develop these attacking patterns. He was always playing against larger competition and had to find ways to be effective. It was the biggest knock against him going into his draft-plus-one season as people wondered how he would do going from Junior hockey to the NCAA, and he thrived. Now the same questions are asked as he reaches the professional ranks.
He is not a large player by any means, nor will he likely grow into one at this stage. He has grown since his draft day, being listed now at 5’10”, but even that may be a bit generous. While he’s deceptive and able to avoid larger opponents, he still will suffer the same issues that have always befallen smaller players. He can be bullied around a bit, and while that has never stopped him from battling every step of the way, he’s never had to play a season versus the fastest and strongest players in the world.
As we saw in his NHL debut, his pure skating speed isn’t high. When he jumps up in the rush, he can therefore be caught out of position should the play turn the opposite direction. As he adjusts to the speed of the NHL game, he will have to pick his spots better or risk leaving his partner on an island.
Projection
Even with Ivan Demidov now in the fold, it could be argued that Hutson enters this hockey season with the most hype around him in the Canadiens organization. The departures of Johnathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris have opened the window firmly for Hutson to make the team right out of training camp.
Of course there is still a mountain of prospect depth around him too, which means a place on the team isn’t guaranteed. Based on his brief cameo to end last year, it should be obvious that the team thinks the world of Hutson, and his offensive upside alone should slide him into the starting lineup. His arrival professionally can also ease some of the burden on a player like Mike Matheson, who seemingly never left the ice when the Habs had a man advantage or needed a goal last year.
With more experienced blue-liners on the team who can handle the tougher minutes, the coaching staff can ease Hutson into the grind of an NHL campaign. He should play plenty on the power play, but he can receive easier starts to get him acclimated to the NHL pace. As he gets his timing down, fans will get to see him work in all those layers of deception and grow into a dominant offensive defenceman.
It’s hard to say at this point whether or not he will top out on the first pair in Montreal. Production-wise he is absolutely capable of securing that spot, with players like Quinn Hughes laying the groundwork for him already. The sky is the limit for him, and if his previous years in the NCAA are any indication, we could be in for a real treat watching him represent the CH.
0:00 – In memory of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
2:20 – Regular intro.
2:30 – Catching up with Bell Fraser
5:00 – Rating Lane Hutson’s 2024 season.
7:15 – Working on defence / Why isn’t he scoring?
9:00 – Has his size been a problem this year, as he has been targeted more.
13:00 – Can Hutson make the NHL directly, and would Martin St-Louis need to mold the defence around Hutson?
16:30 – Usage and Time on Ice.
17:45 – Hero Mode – on /off?
20:30 – The potential impact of Martin St-Louis for Lane Hutson’s development
24:00 – The BU connection.
25:00 – Commercial Break
25:15 – Jacob Fowler, the reflections from an opposing fan.
