Hutson brothers primed for high ‘intensity’ of first NHL showdown

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Rob Hutson called his son Cole Hutson after a recent game only to find the Washington Capitals rookie defenseman was already on the phone with one of his brothers.

“Cole sends me a text, ‘Just jump on the call when Lane calls you,’” Rob said last week. “And then it's all of us talking because they were already talking.”

Lane Hutson, of course, is the Montreal Canadiens defenseman who won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2024-25. Lane, 22, and Cole, 20, often talk on the phone following their games to share their experiences in the League.

They will have a new one they can discuss in person after the Canadiens visit the Capitals at Capital One Arena on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MNMT, Prime). It will be the first time Lane and Cole play against each other at any level.

“It will be cool, for sure, but it’s just going to be another game,” Lane said. “We’ve got to find a way to get some wins. Yeah, it will be cool for me and my brother. But I’m excited for it.”

Cole acknowledged it will be “a little bit” strange playing against Lane.

“But I’ve been battling him my whole life, so I kind of know what he’s going to do,” Cole said. “And, hopefully, we come out with the win.”

It can be hectic at times for Rob and Julie Hutson to keep up with four hockey playing sons spread across North America. Their oldest, Quinn, 24, is a forward with the Edmonton Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield and their youngest, Lars, 17, is a defenseman with Muskegon of the United States Hockey League.

So, in a way, it will be convenient to have Lane and Cole playing in the same building. Although Lane (2022-24) and Cole (2024-25) were teammates with Quinn at Boston University, the only previous times two of their sons went to head-to-head Quinn was with Muskegon and Lane was with the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Still, Rob is unsure how it’s going to feel watching Lane and Cole pitted against each other on NHL ice.

“I haven't really had time to know what it's going to be like, right?” Rob said. “Everything kind of constantly is changing with all four of them. … This might be the only hockey game I go to where I don't feel like I won, and I'm going home a winner.

“That's the thing that we know, and obviously, it's a win-win because they're both at the level they're at, and it's pretty damn cool.”

Rob and Julie probably have thought more about this game than Lane and Cole, though. Each claimed to be too caught up in the day-to-day of their respective teams.

“I don’t look too far ahead on the calendar,” Lane said. “I just kind of have an idea of who we have in the next three games, but not the (exact schedule).”

“I’m kind of just staying in the moment,” Cole said. “Obviously, it’s coming up soon, but I haven’t really thought of it. We’ll think about it when the day comes.”

That singular focus is among the things the brothers have in common, along with their similar paths, which went from the USNTDP to Boston University for two seasons to the NHL.

Lane, a second-round pick (No. 62) of the 2022 NHL Draft, turned pro in time to play in two games for Montreal at the end of the 2023-24 season, getting two assists, before he had 66 points (six goals, 60 assists) in 82 games in 2024-25 to win the Calder. After topping that with 78 points (12 goals, 66 assists) in 82 games last season, Lane has four assists in five games this season.

Cole, a second-round pick (No. 43) in the 2024 NHL Draft, had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 14 games after joining Washington at the end of last season and has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games this season.

Each is highly skilled if undersized -- Lane is 5-foot-9, 162 pounds and Cole is 6-0, 180 -- but they have slightly different styles.

“Cole shoots the puck more than Lane does,” said Rob, founder and head coach at Hutson Pro Hockey Academy in Barrington, Illinois. “Cole has a longer, drawn-out stride. Lane has fast twitch muscles, so he goes, goes, goes. They both handle the puck similar. They both can see the ice similar. Cole is more physical. Lane defends with his stick and his brain more.

“So, a lot of stuff people can already decipher between them.”

Rob said their personalities are also, “very, very different.”

“I think I’m probably a little bit louder than him, more outgoing,” Cole said. “He’s a little bit more quiet, just stays in his own lane and kind of just gets his work done. I like to talk. I like to be around people.”

All four of the Hutson brothers, who help at the hockey academy and train together during the offseason, have to be dragged off the ice at the end of practice. And they’re all fiercely competitive, particularly with each other.

“Definitely a lot of fighting out there during the summer,” Cole said.

Fighting, like throwing punches?

“Oh yeah,” Cole said. “Everything, anything you can think of, we’re doing. … We want each other to do better and sometimes that leads to fighting.”

Rob confirmed.

“I've spent a fair amount of time breaking up fights,” he said. “There's some intensity there. All four of them are super competitive. They'll break up into teams and they’ll go 2-on-2, and they go very, very, very hard.

“I would say that's the strength to what they are as players, their competitiveness.”

That competitiveness stems from the brothers wanting to push each other to improve.

“You can say iron sharpens iron or come up with whatever you want to say,” Rob said. “But they are definitely close.”

So, when Lane and Cole are apart during the season, they frequently talk on the phone and play Xbox together some nights if neither has a game. It’s more difficult to watch each other’s games now that both are in the NHL, but they try to keep track of how the other is doing as best they can.

“He’s having a pretty good year,” Lane said. “It’s fun to watch. … I’m so proud of him. I’m really not all that surprised. He’s been doing that for so long, so it’s nothing new for him.”

Knowing Lane went through it two years before, Cole leaned on his brother for advice after turning pro last season.

Lane said he told Cole, “Just to be himself and I feel like he’s done a pretty good job of that. So, he’s going to figure it out as he goes. But hopefully, he doesn’t figure it out against us.”

That, of course, is each brother’s underlying thought. As much as they support each other, neither wants to lose to the other either.

“I’m pretty positive that whoever doesn't win is not going to be happy,” Rob said. “And when I say not happy, they're going to really not be happy. But, at the same time, some time will go by, and they’ll be fine. But there's always going to be that live-in-the-now of like, ‘Hey, I beat you last time.’

“That'll be hanging out there until the next time.”

There are two more games scheduled between the Canadiens and Capitals this season -- again in Washington on Jan. 19 and in Montreal on Feb. 13.

“So, we’ve got to be excited the next game, too, and the game after that, and the game after that,” Rob said. “I think it's like anything. When you talk about rivalries, sibling rivalries sometimes are more intense than any rivalry.”

LNH.com senior writer Jean-Francois Chaumont contributed to this report.