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.

Early years
Hutson first joined USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for the 2020–21 season, enjoying success at that level. The USNTDP strength and conditioning staff worked to address his diminutive frame, whereas he would gain ten pounds between joining the program and the summer of 2022. Over the course of his first professional 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 5'8" and 150lbs at the time of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, both figures uncommon among NHL defencemen 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 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 foregoing 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 ultimately selected in the second round, 62nd overall, by the host Canadiens.

Collegiate career
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 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 men's ice hockey tournament, Hutston scored two goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime to help BU win the tournament, and receive an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament. 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 the 2023–24 season, Hutson scored his first collegiate hat trick in a November 4 game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Professional
Following BU's overtime defeat to 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 shortly thereafter on April 15 in a 5–4 overtime loss versus the Detroit Red Wings, registering an assist.

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, and a silver medal.

The following year, Hutson was named to Team USA for the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he recorded five assists in five games. He rejoined the team for the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, and recorded eight assists in six games, and won a silver medal. Hutson was subsequently 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 the national junior team to compete at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey 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 at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, registering two goals and four assists in nine games. Team USA reached the bronze medal game, but were defeated by Latvia.

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

Personal life
Hutson was born in Holland, Michigan to parents Rob and Julie, and grew up in the Chicago suburb of North Barrington, Illinois. He has three brothers: Quinn, Cole and Lars, the former two whom play college ice hockey at Boston University.