High above the ice surface of Capitals One Arena on Saturday afternoon, while the Caps were taking on the Boston Bruins, on press row and in Washington’s hockey operations booth, there were more than a few eyeballs glancing back and forth between the action on the ice in DC and the livestream of a game going on a few hours north of the District, in Storrs, Connecticut’s Toscano Family Ice Forum. In that Hockey East Tournament game, a quarterfinal matchup between the UConn Huskies and Boston University Terriers, the Huskies prevailed 5-3, ending the Terriers pedestrian 17-17-2 season.
Saturday’s UConn-BU contest was of interest to so many watching the Caps from on high because one of the skaters in that game could conceivably suit up for Washington’s next game, the second match in a four-game homestand Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.
With the conclusion of BU’s season comes Sunday’s news that Cole Hutson has signed his entry-level contract with the Caps and will join the team right away; he lands at DCA on Sunday night and will practice with the team for the first time on Tuesday. The 19-year-old blueliner was Washington’s second-round pick (43rd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, and Saturday’s loss completes his collegiate career after his sophomore season with the Terriers.
Hutson has signed a three-year entry level deal – which kicks in with this season – carrying an average annual value of $975,000. He finishes his two-year collegiate career with 80 points (24 goals, 56 assists) in 74 games, tops among all NCAA defenseman across that span.
“High end skill level coupled with high-end vision,” says Caps senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick of Hutson. “He seems to see plays that elite players see. A lot of times when we’d watch him in college even, he'd make plays that didn't really turn into anything, not because it was a bad play, but more I think because the play he was making, the recipient wasn't ready for it, because they weren't expecting to get a puck in that spot, and so it turns into nothing.
“But when you put them with an NHL player, that same play might be a goal. For me, it's the skill combined with the vision and creativity makes him a really dangerous offensive player.”
Caps’ assistant general manager Ross Mahoney has quarterbacked the Washington draft process for nearly three decades now, and he sees the same preternatural sort of talent from Hutson.
“Cole has an extremely high hockey IQ,” says Mahoney. “He’s an excellent skater, he’s got good speed and the ability to change directions quickly. And is patience with the puck is – for me – unbelievable.
“Lots of times, kids will dump the puck in or get it, and he holds on to it, holds on to it, draws everybody over towards him, and then finds a teammate open. He's so unselfish with the puck. It's a lot of fun to watch. And you see him on the power play, especially with that patience with the puck and his ability to hold on to it and wait until players are open. He's just so creative, so probably the skating and the creativity and the hockey sense, and he also has a real desire to win. He’s not happy when he loses, which I really like.”
The 2024 NHL Draft was seen as a deep one, and Hutson was seen as a player that could be taken in the first round, which played out on his 18th birthday, June 28, 2024. Red Line Report had Hutson ranked 17th and McKeen’s had him ranked 36th, so he was seen as a big value pick for pick for the Caps at the time, but that value has increased since with the emergence of his older brother Lane as a bona fide top pair NHL defenseman.
Lane Hutson was a second-round pick himself, going to the Canadiens with the 62nd overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. After two years at BU, Lane also left to turn pro, and he had two assists in two late-season games with the Habs.
Last season, Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. This season, he is averaging more than 23 minutes per game while putting up 66 points (11 goals, 55 assists) in as many games for Montreal. He turned 22 last month.
Both Hutson brothers have first-round talent, but scouts also covet stature in evaluating defensemen, and that’s the main reason the Caps were able to get Cole in the second round of the 2024 Draft. And Lane had only played two NHL games at that point, too.
“I think for anybody, if they went back and did the draft now, they would probably take him higher than where we took him,” says Patrick. “So, I would say based on where we took him and what he has done since, he has exceeded our expectations in a good way.”
“Before the rules changed, I thought it was really hard for small, small defensemen to play,” says Mahoney. “And then when the rules changed, and you couldn't do the all of hooking and holding, I thought it allowed smaller defensemen – and he’s not small; he's like almost 5-foot-11, and 175 pounds, so it’s not like we're talking 5-foot-9 or something – but I think it really allowed those smaller defensemen who can really skate an opportunity to play. I'm just excited to see him out there.”
Hutson’s ability to skate, his quick feet and his elusiveness jump out when you watch him. But he has grown and evolved his defensive game since he was drafted, too.
“I think he's focused on trying to be a harder defender, harder to play against,” says Patrick. “I saw that a little bit this year in his game, where I think he bought more of a physical element than maybe he did his first year. At BU, he definitely plays with a bit of an edge at times physically. He's not afraid to get into physical battles and physical confrontations. And I think that was a concerted effort on his part.”
“Going back for a second year at BU, we wanted to make sure that he was working on the parts of his game that made him a more complete player. And for me, that's what I've seen this year.”
“I think he has become a little more aware of playing a 200-foot game and being a little more responsible away from the puck,” Mahoney agrees. “And the lucky thing for him is he gets to work with [Caps director of player development] Steve Richmond and Brooks Orpik, and that’s a pretty good deal. And we know the style of player that Brooks was, and I think that Brooks has really helped him with his play away from the puck. You never want to take away someone’s creativity, but you do want to get them a little more responsible away from the puck. I think that has happened, and I think that’s a good thing.”
Late last season, right wing Ryan Leonard signed with the Caps and got into nine late season contests with the team. This season, Leonard has displayed his own high-end skill and abilities as an NHL rookie who just turned 21, and Hutson is next in line for that progression.
“For him, it’s similar to Ryan last year,” says Patrick. “It gives them a sense for how good the League is, and especially this time of year, when teams are pushing for playoff positioning or to get into the playoffs. It'll give him a good experience of detail-oriented, high intensity, high level hockey at the NHL level.
“And for us, we'll just see how it looks. I don't think we want to put too much into it. This isn’t an easy situation to come into, when you're coming in late in the season, coming off your college season, having never been in an NHL training camp. So, we'll see how he looks and I don't think we'll make too many decisions based off this little window of games here, one way or the other.
“I think we have a good understanding for what he is and what his upside is and where he's going to fit in our team. And for us, this is more just to see him in there and get comfortable with the team and the system and the League, and hopefully he steps right in and does look really comfortable.”
Hutson will soon be practicing with and against NHL players for the first time, and the Caps will soon decide when and where he will make his NHL debut, and which of the team’s current defense corps is best suited to serve as his partner as he does so. And interestingly, the Caps have a defenseman in their system who has some history playing with Cole’s older brother.
“I think he can play with anyone,” says Mahoney. “But I think you're probably looking for a little more of a two-way defenseman, someone who's probably a little more stay-at-home, which will allow him to showcase those offensive skills even more.
“I kind of laugh too, because I watched Ryan Chesley [Washington’s 2022 second-rounder, now in his first season as a pro at AHL Hershey] play as a partner for his older brother two years on the under 17 and under 18 [US National Development Team] program. At some point, you’d think that Ryan and Cole are going to be partners. I have no idea; that's for the coaches [to decide], but it's kind of ironic.”
The Washington roster has long been a blend of homegrown, drafted and developed players mixed with high pedigree players imported from elsewhere via trade or free agency. With players like Leonard and now Hutson, the Caps are hopeful this duo – and some others already in the pipeline – are foundational pieces of their next great team.
“I think the game, more so now than ever, places a big premium on skill and playmaking,” says Patrick. “And to have a couple players on your back end that can do that, I think it just helps the team in general, to get up the ice and get into the offensive zone and create offense. And the way we play especially, we like to get our defense involved in the offensive zone; we don’t like to waste shots. I think a lot of his skill set is conducive to that where he is a guy that is going to hold the puck, possess the puck, and buy time to find a good play, versus just pumping a shot on net.”
Hutson also doesn’t mind playing with a chip on his shoulder.
“I see a little bit of what you see with Rasmus Sandin now with our team,” says Patrick, “where you see him getting more comfortable catching guys with little subtle reverse hits or little shoulder bumps just to get them off balance. And he is not necessarily an overpowering guy, but he's finding a way to have a physical impact on the game. And I think Cole does a similar thing in what I've seen this year. He's added that part to his game, at least at college.”
“I think you have to have a certain swagger; you have a little swagger to your game,” says Mahoney. “And I think all the really, really good players the NHL have it, right? And I call it confidence, not arrogance. To have that confidence to do things that a lot of other players might get a little panicky doing, like moving the puck. But when you’re not 6-foot-3, I think you have to have confidence in your ability. And he's got that; he wants to show everybody why he's a good hockey player.”
Over the years, the Caps have had a lot of terrific defensemen, and they’ve drafted more than a few of them. As a fan of the team for essentially his entire life, we asked Patrick whether he could recall such fan anticipation for a Caps prospect – at any position – taken outside of the first round.
“Not taken in the first round?” says Patrick. “Man, that makes it tough. With Peter Bondra [in 1990], I don’t think had this level of [interest]. People didn’t really know much about him when he came in. I’d have to go back and look through the drafts, but I don’t think we’ve had someone outside the first round that’s had this level of anticipation coming in, and it’s been fun.”
And there are a couple more on the way, in 2024 third-rounder Ilya Protas and 2023 second-rounder Andrew Cristall, who are currently running tied for first and third, respectively, in scoring among all AHL rookies with Hershey this season.
Ironically, Protas – the younger brother of Caps winger Aliaksei – is tied for the AHL scoring lead with none other than Quinn Hutson, the third professional hockey-playing brother, and at 24, the oldest of the trio.
It’s been a while since the Caps’ prospect pool had as many high end and intriguing prospects coming up and through the pipeline at the same time.
“It’s been fun,” reiterates Patrick. “Obviously, huge credit to our amateur scouting staff and our analytics staff that works on the draft and finding these guys in the second and third round that we feel might have first-round value.
“And it does feel like the last time we had this much excitement over this many different prospects – and we've had some one-offs here and there – but this many different prospects kind of all at the same time, with the Leonards and the Hutsons and the Protases and Cristalls and [Landon] Lackovics, it was probably going back to when we were drafting [Alex Ovechkin] and [Nicklas Backstrom and Karl Alzner and John Carlson.
“These guys were coming in, and you were already tracking their success prior to getting into the NHL, in the World Juniors or professional leagues in Europe, or in junior leagues in Canada. And the anticipation for those guys was very high as well.
“So, it feels like we're kind of repeating that again, with all these guys, and hopefully they end up having as much success as all those guys did, from the 2004 to 2010 time frame of [NHL] Drafts.”
