Prospect Ramblings: Self-Proclaimed President of the Lane Hutson Fan Club

I love Lane Hutson. This is no secret to anybody who knows me personally, or to anybody who knows me online, or to anybody who’s been in my presence any time in the past year.

While all of my prospect ramblings thus far have been on draft eligibles, it is hard for me, especially as the Habs team contributor here, to gloss over what Hutson is doing. In fact, my first move when I was promoted to editor was to promptly adjust Hutson’s height to 5-10, and weight to 161. While I had no issue ranking him 17^th overall in 2022 when he stood at 5-7, it is now a whole different conversation.

While it is a very tough pill to swallow that short king Hutson is actually the same height as me, he’s established himself as a top prospect not only in Montreal, but in the entire league.

After a week where Hutson won the Hockey East Championship with the BU Terriers, where he was named playoff MVP, and a game where he not only scored the OT winner, but officially tied Brian Leetch for the most points by a defenseman in NCAA history (in one less game!), there is no better player to talk about.

Lane Hutson – The Best Things Come in Small Packages

 

Hutson excels offensively. He has an incredibly bright mind, and he can produce at exceptional rates. Patrolling the second pairing with Devils prospect Case McCarthy this season, Hutson thrived.

His shot isn’t his greatest strength, but for a player his size, he gets a tremendous amount of power on his shot.

While his size may hold him back a little bit in terms of projectability, it is somewhat of a strength in his game. He is devastatingly shifty, with speedy hands. This combo provides for nonstop highlight reels.

He doesn’t come without fault, however. He does get physically overpowered at times, which is somewhat inevitable considering there are guys nearly a foot taller, and a hundred pounds heavier than him.

His skating, especially his pivots, need work as well, but it is difficult to dwell on negatives with a prospect like Lane Hutson.

If Lane Hutson hits, he could be in the conversation with guys like Quinn Hughes. I may be biased, but I think it’s a lot more likely he hits than he misses.

Sincerely yours,

President of the Lane Hutson Fan Club

Well.. co-president with director of North American Scouting Sebastian High

Thanks for reading! You can catch me on Twitter with bi-weekly personal rankings updates @itovitch , and at the Puck and Roll Podcast!