2024 NHL Draft Notebook: Hutson motivated after brother chosen in 2nd round in 2022

The 2024 NHL Draft will be held in June at a location to be announced. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch.

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Cole Hutson recalled watching his older brother, Lane, being selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (No. 62) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

For Cole, a defenseman with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team, the expected emotions were there -- excitement, relief, motivation. But the source of that last one, motivation, came as a surprise.

"It was a great day for our family when he got picked," Cole said. "Obviously, a bit upsetting he dropped because of his size (5-foot-9, 158 pounds) and, so they say, his defensive ability. So, I kind of want to get payback for him and hopefully do a little bit better than he did."

The 17-year-old, eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, could get his shot in June. NTDP coach Nick Fohr believes if Cole is taken higher, it will be with a skill set that is strikingly similar to that of his 19-year-old brother.  

Cole (5-10, 158) is a projected second-round pick in the 2024 draft as a B rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list.

Lane, also a defenseman, had 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 27 games for USNTDP in the 2021-22 United States Hockey League season. Since then, he has 64 points (23 goals, 41 assists) in 52 games at Boston University, where Cole is committed.

Cole has three assists in seven USHL games this season, after having 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) in 32 games a season ago.

"They're very, very similar. Very similar players," Fohr said. "You watch them on the rink, the deception that they're able to throw out at the opponents and just the agility, how they posture pucks, how they move, they're so similar. They each have their pluses and their minuses, probably.

"I think Lane has, maybe, a little higher motor and works, maybe, a little bit harder. But I think the game is just a lot more natural for Cole. It's just easier for him. So in the end, they're super similar. You're splitting hairs to find the differences between them, honestly."

Cole, though, doesn't want to be pegged as simply an offensive defenseman.

"I think just fixing up my defensive side of the game," he said. "I don't want anyone to question my defensive ability because I think they know I can do what I can do on offense. I'm just trying to shape up my defense."

New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox is an example of just that for Hutson.

Selected by the Calgary Flames in the third round (No. 66) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Fox has 246 points (39 goals, 207 assists) in 296 NHL games. But he's been able to match that production with being well-rounded defensively.

To Fohr, Hutson will be capable of the same with a more methodical approach.

"For him, something he's going to have to learn and get better with over time is just understanding time and place sometimes," Fohr said. "He's high-risk all the time and he's trying to make that play all the time. I think sometimes, we can just settle down and make the easier play, the more straight-forward play that's in front of us instead of trying to make the highlight-reel play all the time." 

That doesn't mean Fohr wants to limit Cole, a native of North Barrington, Illinois.  

"The amount of times I've watched him make a play and I'm like, 'How did he see that?'" Fohr said. "Even watching it back on video, like, 'How does he see that that's there?' Just that playmaking and that vision, and ability, that he has to do those things is off the charts."    

That's packaged with noticeable confidence, which Hutson said he would carry to the NHL.  

"I just think outworking everybody," Huston said. "They might have a little bit of size on me, but I don't think they want it as bad as me."

PROSPECTS ON THE RADAR (listed alphabetically)

Michael Hage, RW, Chicago (USHL): Hage (6-0, 190), upgraded to an A rated skater from a B rating on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list on Nov. 22, has a team-leading 12 assists and 18 points in 18 games in his second season with Chicago. The 17-year-old right-handed shot who committed to the University of Michigan in 2024-25, scored 116 points (46 goals, 70 assists) in 57 games with the Toronto Junior Canadiens Under-16 AAA team in 2021-22. His Ontario Hockey League rights are held by Kitchener, which selected him No. 9 in the 2022 OHL draft.

"He's a complete package center, utilizing his size, skating and speed smartly to get results," Central Scouting director Dan Marr said. "He plays a strong game with and without the puck and continues to develop."

Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna (WHL): The son of Hall of Fame forward Jerome Iginla has 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) and six power-play goals in 25 games with Kelowna. The 17-year-old, a good skater with hockey sense, was traded to Kelowna by Seattle for two draft picks and forward Grady Lenton on June 7.

Iginla (6-0, 186) was upgraded to an A rated skater from a B rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list.

"He's a dynamic offensive player and has speed and quickness that makes a difference and possesses natural offensive instincts and finishing ability," Marr said. "He's a player you can't keep your eyes off when he's on the ice."

Anton Silayev, D, Torpedo (RUS): The 17-year-old left-handed shot has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 36 games in his second season in the Kontinental Hockey League. Silayev (6-7, 211) is used in all game situations, plays a physical game and possesses a good shot.

"Surprisingly fine mobility for a player of his size, he's active, alert and involved," director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "He's a two-way defenseman who likes to support and join the offensive rush."

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report