Observations:

January 2016 – Hutton has continued an excellent rookie season with the Canucks. Consistent play has gained him an increased amount of trust from the coaching staff, with ice time steadily increasing from an average of 17:45minutes per game in December, to a shade under 20 minutes in 2016 so far. To date, Ben has been putting up respectable numbers as well. Potting his first NHL goal against the Islanders on Jan.17 to go with 10 assists and a minus-6 rating and 8 PIM, Ben has earned his spot on the roster. With his time on the second power-play unit, he remains a solid property on any fantasy roster, as his game should only improve over time. David McDonald

November 2015 – After 20 games, the rookie defenseman has eight assists, four penalty minutes, and a minus-6 rating while firmly being entrenched on the third pairing for the Canucks (Matt Bartkowsk). Hutton does receive second unit powerplay time, and moves the puck well across the ice. A promising rookie season is in the works and should bode for a nice future in Vancouver. Mike Barrett

October 2015 – Ben Hutton needs to unpack his bags permanently. He has looked extremely good early on and his puck transitioning style will certainly help replace any lost by Kevin Bieksa. His shot isn’t a booming one but it’s above average and very efficient at getting pucks through. With more powerplay time, Hutton’s totals should continue to climb. He’s very smart with the puck and makes safe reads in all three zones. Currently, Hutton’s been getting secondary powerplay time with Tanev but an injury to Alexander Edler, an executive member of the Band Aid Boy committee, would benefit him even more. Brendan Ross

December 2014 – After a very impressive sophomore season at the University of Maine (15-14-29 in 35 games), Ben Hutton has struggled mightily this season. The offensive defenseman has only five points (two goals) and to make matters worse, a minus-10 rating (19 games) . The 21-year-old has been taking chances to create offense, that haven’t paid off and has paid for it in his own end. The good thing is there is still more than half the season to go for Hutton to turn his play around, but is it not uncommon for offensive minded D-men to go through major ups-and-downs  during their development. No matter what happens until the end of the year, watch for Hutton to rebound nicely next season with totals much closer to 2013-14 as he learns from his mistakes. Mike Barrett
January 2014 – Ben Hutton has put himself on the map this year with 14 points in 19 games as a sophomore. A fifth round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, he posted a respectable 15 points in 34 games in his freshman year with Maine. His greatest offensive weapon seems to be his wrist shot. This year, he has taken on additional ice time and responsibility as his defensive game has improved, notably cutting down on turnovers. On the offensive side, he leads NCAA defensemen with 7 goals this season and has an excellent 3.11 shots on goal per game. Three shots on goal a game is considered great for any player in the NCAA, but is especially so for a defenseman. It isn't out of the question that Hutton could leave college after next year, given his tremendous improvement. Chris Tanev is a recent example that the Canucks don't mind exceptional prospects leaving school early.  Austin Wallace

Fantasy Outlook: B-

Hutton projects as a second-pairing defenseman with significant power-play time.

Footage:

Ben Hutton highlights:

{youtube}z9ECaYNOPbs{/youtube}

Buy the latest Fantasy Prospects Report here.

{source}<iframe src="http://www.eliteprospects.com/iframe_player_stats.php?player=78150" width="100%" height="400" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" ></iframe>{/source}