Lane Hutson

Lane Hutson (born February 14, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 62nd overall, by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL entry draft. In his debut season with the Canadiens, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie for the 2024–25 campaign.

Playing career

Early years

Hutson first joined USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP) for the 2020–21 season, enjoying success at that level. Team strength and conditioning personnel initially worked to address his diminutive frame, and he gained between joining the program and into the 2022 offseason. Over the course of his first NHL draft-eligible season, Hutson became a subject of considerable debate among scouts and evaluators with respect to his suitability for the National Hockey League (NHL). Being only and at the time of the 2022 NHL entry draft, both figures uncommon among NHL defensemen at the time, many believed he would be unable to translate to the professional game effectively, despite widespread praise for his skill and hockey intelligence. Sportsnet's draft expert Sam Cosentino remarked "if Hutson was 5-foot-10 today, he would be projected to go inside the top 15 picks of this draft."

Seeking to allay concerns with respect to his size, Hutson arrived at the NHL scouting combine with an endocrinologist report indicating "his bone age is delayed relative to his biological age, which means his frame still has more than a full year of additional bone growth to go." At the subsequent draft held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Hutson received the E. J. McGuire Award of Excellence, awarded by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau to the player who "best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism." He was selected in the second round, 62nd overall, by the host Montreal Canadiens.

Collegiate

Hutson committed to play collegiately for Boston University (BU) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) beginning in the 2022–23 season. During his freshman year, he recorded nine goals and a league-high 25 assists in 24 Hockey East games, becoming the first defenseman to ever lead the conference in scoring. Following an outstanding season, he was named a unanimous addition to both the All-Hockey East First Team and All-Hockey East Rookie Team. Hutson was also named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Hockey East Scoring Champion and runner-up for Hockey East Player of the Year. He became the third defenseman to be named Hockey East Rookie of the Year, and the first since Ian Moran in 1992. He was also presented the Walter Brown Award given to the best American-born Division I men's college ice hockey player in New England, becoming just the second freshman to win said award since its establishment in 1953, and the first since Brian Leetch in 1987.

During the championship game of the 2023 Hockey East tournament, Hutson scored two goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime to help BU win the tournament, and receive an automatic bid to the 2023 Frozen Four. He was subsequently named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP. With a goal during the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament against Western Michigan, Hutson surpassed Brian Leetch as the highest-scoring freshman in Hockey East history, a record set in 1987.

Returning to BU for his sophomore year, Hutson would be named as an assistant captain prior to the beginning of the 2023–24 season. On November 4, 2023, he scored his first collegiate hat trick in a game against the University of North Dakota. Collectively, he would finish play with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) across 38 games.

Professional

Following BU's overtime defeat by Denver during the 2024 Frozen Four, Hutson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens on April 12, 2024. He then made his NHL debut in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 15, registering an assist.

Securing a full-time roster spot with the Canadiens ahead of the 2024–25 season, Hutson registered 19 points through the team's first 28 games, including a streak of points in seven consecutive games to set the franchise record for rookie defensemen, surpassing the previous mark of six set by both Glen Harmon in 1943 and Chris Chelios in 1984. On December 14, 2024, he scored his first career NHL goal in a game against the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the third rookie defenseman in franchise history to reach 20 points in the first 30 games of a season. He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for December 2024, in which he recorded 13 points in 14 games, primarily playing on the top defensive pair for Montreal.

Following a multi-assist (3) effort on January 14, 2025 against the Utah Hockey Club, Hutson became the fourth different defenseman in Canadiens history to record a three-assist game at age 20 or younger. Shortly thereafter, he matched Barry Beck as the only rookie defenseman in league history to have two point streaks of at least seven consecutive games. Upon extending his point streak to eight games, Hutson became the first Canadiens rookie skater to post a run of that length since Stéphan Lebeau over three decades prior. On January 21, he joined Shayne Gostisbehere as just the second rookie blueliner in NHL history to post an assist streak of at least nine consecutive games. A month later, he would become the first rookie defenseman to collect 40 assists in fewer than 60 games since Nicklas Lidström in 1991–92.

Registering his 50th assist of the season on March 27, Hutson emulated a select few defensemen in league history to accomplish same over the course of their rookie campaign, lastly achieved by Gary Suter in 1985–86. Totaling 14 assists during the course of March, he became the first rookie defenseman since Alexei Zhitnik with this type of offensive output in a single calendar month dating back 32 years and would be recognized as the league’s Rookie of the Month for a second time.

Following three assists in a game against the Florida Panthers on April 1, Hutson became the tenth rookie defenseman in NHL history to reach the 60-point plateau in their inaugural season. Similarly, he would also set a Canadiens franchise record for assists by a rookie defenseman with 57, surpassing the previous record of 55 held by Chris Chelios. With his 65th point on April 14 against the Chicago Blackhawks, he would establish a new franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman, likewise overtaking the previous mark set by Chelios (64). Tallying an assist in the final game of the regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 16, Hutson would tie the single-season NHL record for most assists by a rookie defenseman ( Larry Murphy) with 60.

With his team clinching the last berth in the ensuing Stanley Cup playoffs, Hutson would be relied upon to continue his offensive prowess for their first round matchup against the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals. Depsite the Canadiens ultimately bowing out in five games, he would post five assists over that span, the most such by a franchise rookie defenseman during the course of an inaugural postseason series.

In June 2025, Hutson received the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player deemed as the best rookie across the NHL. He was the first Canadiens player to earn the distinction since goaltender Ken Dryden in 1972. He was also named to the All-Rookie Team. Hutson received votes for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, the Professional Hockey Writers' Association's award for the best NHL defenseman, finishing ninth in balloting.

International play

Hutson first represented the United States internationally at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, where he recorded one goal and one assist in four games, earning a silver medal.

The following year, Hutson was named to the United States national under-18 team for the 2021 World U18 Championships, registering five assists across five games played. He rejoined the team for the 2022 World U18 Championships and captured a silver medal. Collectively, Hutson would be named the directorate award winner as the tournament's top defenseman and also part of the media All-Star team.

On December 12, 2022, Hutson was named to his country's national junior team to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He recorded one goal and three assists in seven games and won a bronze medal. Later the same year, he was part of the national senior team for the 2023 World Championship, registering two goals and four assists in nine games. Despite reaching the bronze medal game, the team was ultimately defeated by Latvia in overtime.

On December 16, 2023, Hutson was again named to the national junior ranks to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships. Serving as an alternate captain, he played extensive minutes in the team's deep run at the tournament, including a cumulative 52 minutes over consecutive days in the semifinal and championship games; the latter which saw the United States defeat Sweden for the gold medal. Hutson skated on the top defensive pairing with Ryan Chesley and was subsequently named to the media's All-Star team for his performance.

Personal life

Hutson was born to parents Rob (originally from Bowsman, Manitoba) and Julie in Holland, Michigan, but grew up in the Chicago suburb of North Barrington, Illinois. He has three brothers: Quinn, Cole and Lars; the former two played college ice hockey at Boston University.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

Records

Montreal Canadiens:
* Most single-season assists by a rookie defenseman: 60 ( 2024–25)
* Most single-season points by a rookie defenseman: 66 ( 2024–25)
National Hockey League:
* Most single-season assists by a rookie defenseman: 60 ( 2024–25)

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutson, Lane
2004 births
Living people
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
American sportspeople of Canadian descent
American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players
Ice hockey players from Illinois
Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Montreal Canadiens players
Ice hockey people from Lake County, Illinois
USA Hockey National Team Development Program players
Youth Olympic silver medalists for the United States
21st-century American sportsmen