Hutson practices with Capitals, could make NHL debut on Wednesday

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Cole Hutson is still getting used to the idea his days at Boston University are over, so the 19-year-old defenseman isn't sure how he'll feel if he makes his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals against the Ottawa Senators at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET MNMT, SN, TVAS).

"I'll probably be in shock all game, I don't know," Hutson said after his first practice with the Capitals on Tuesday. "Just getting ready to play, just getting into that rink and walking around for the first time, it's going to feel pretty crazy and I don't want to put too much stress on it."

Hutson, who was selected in the second round (No. 43) of the 2024 NHL Draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Washington on Sunday.

Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said they'll  decide Wednesday if Hutson will play against the Senators, but all signs point to him being in the lineup. Hutson was paired during practice Tuesday with veteran defenseman Matt Roy and worked at the point on the second power-play unit. Carbery said whenever Hutson plays, he will take a regular shift and get a chance to utilize his offensive skills on the power play.

"Absolutely," Carbery said. "No sense in putting the restrictor plates on. Like, 'Let's go.'"

It's been a bit of whirlwind for Hutson since his sophomore season at BU ended with a 5-3 loss to the University of Connecticut in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. He decided to turn pro less than 24 hours later and was in Washington by Sunday evening.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound St. Louis native's 80 points (24 goals, 56 assists) in 74 games during his two seasons at BU were most in the NCAA among defensemen.

"I really didn't want to leave BU at all," Hutson said. "Loved that place, love all my teammates, the coaches are the best ever. I'm really sad I had to move on, but I think now's the right time for me."

Hutson joins the Capitals (33-27-8) when they are desperate to make up ground in the Stanley Cup Playoff race. They entered Tuesday seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference with 14 games remaining.

Perhaps, Hutson's arrival could provide a spark.

"You could feel it a little bit today," Carbery said. "Guys are excited. There has been a lot of hype and anticipation to Cole coming here, what he's accomplished. These guys are smart guys, and they read things, and they watch things. They've seen all the different clips, and they get excited about it too."

The Capitals had the day off Monday, so Hutson spent much of it with forward Ryan Leonard, his United States teammate when they won the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Leonard followed a similar path to Hutson when he signed with Washington a year ago after completing his sophomore season at Boston College. He jumped directly into the lineup. Leonard said his advice to Hutson was, "Just go out there and have fun. He knows the player he is and how he's done at multiple levels, and I'm sure he'll fit in right away."

Hutson can also lean on his older brothers: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson and Edmonton Oilers forward prospect Quinn Hutson. Cole said he had a long phone conversation with Lane on Monday, picking his brain about his NHL experiences.

Like Cole, Lane turned pro two years ago after his sophomore season at BU. He played two games for Montreal at the end of the 2023-24 season before winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie last season, when he had 66 points (six goals, 60 assists) in 82 games.

"I was on the phone with Lane for three hours yesterday, just talking about how I've got to play and just what to do and what not to do," Cole said. "And 'Leno' obviously going through it last year, I'm at a head start with the advice from him, for sure."

Having never attended training camp, Hutson met most of his Capitals teammates Tuesday, including captain Alex Ovechkin, the NHL record holder with 921 career goals. After Ovechkin greeted him with a welcoming handshake in the video room before practice, Hutson was still in awe of him when they hit the ice.

"It was awesome," Hutson said. "Just watching his shot out there, he had a one-timer on the power play that was unbelievable. He's just a legend. Still kind of starstruck by it."

Hutson didn't look out of place, though; during a 2-on-2 small-ice drill about 15 minutes into practice, he flashed his offensive skill with a no-look pass through two defenders on the tape of forward Ivan Miroshnichenko for a goal.

"We all definitely noticed it," Roy said. "He was getting some love there. It was really fun to see for us."

Center Pierre-Luc Dubois said, "The majority of players, they come in today, be a little shy and keep it simple, and I'm sure he did in some ways, but not on that rep. But you can see he's got a lot of talent. At this point in the year, it's never easy coming in and jumping into practice and jumping into games, but when you're smart and when you're talented like that, you get the hang of things pretty quick."