The Montreal Canadiens have their first Calder Memorial Trophy winner since Ken Dryden as Lane Hutson was announced as the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.
Hutson had 165/191 first place votes and those who voted for either Dustin Wolf or Macklin Celebrini all put him in second spot. Hutson had a margin of victory of almost 700 points, more than the gap between second and fourth.
Drafted 62nd overall in 2022, Hutson spent two seasons with Boston University before playing the final two NHL games last year. In his first full campaign in the world’s top league, he registered 66 points, 60 of them being assists to tie him with Larry Murphy for the all-time mark among rookie defencemen. Those 66 points also led all rookies this season.
Hutson winning the scoring race as a blue-liner and on a team that fought for and earned a playoff berth would have both been factors in his favour among the Professional Hockey Writers Association members who participate in the voting.
He is the first Canadiens winner of the award since Ken Dryden in 1971-72. Other Canadiens to win the award are Jacques Laperriere, Bobby Rousseau, Ralph Backstrom, Bernie Geoffrion, and Johnny Quilty.
