BLOG: Hutson hopes to impress in Oilers audition over final two games

EDMONTON, AB – Hopefully from here on out for right winger Quinn Hutson, there won’t be any more bumps on the road (or runway) when it comes to kicking off his NHL career.

The 23-year-old was on a flight to Edmonton on Sunday night that had to make an emergency landing back in Denver after one of the engines caught fire during takeoff, creating for a nervous situation that luckily came to a resolution with no injuries.

“A little scared there for a second, but still made it,” Hutson said from Rogers Place on Monday.

“I make jokes about (flying) all the time,” he added. “I’ll stop making jokes about it now.”

Hutson was making his way to Edmonton after signing his two-year entry-level contract that became official on Monday morning, which will also be the day of his NHL debut after Head Coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed after the pre-game skate that he'll be in the lineup to face the Los Angeles Kings.

The Oilers are in desperate need of his services for Monday's important matchup with Los Angeles that could have a major impact on who'll get home-ice advantage in their fourth straight meeting in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With their roster currently managing a laundry list of injuries with only two regular season games remaining, opportunity is knocking for the North Barrington, IL product to make an early impression.

“I think I just want to show that I could play here,” he said. “I want to show what my role will be in the future, and I think these next two games will be good practice for what that will look like.”

“I want to go out there, play a safe game and just stick to what I usually do.”

Hutson said that he couldn't have landed in a better spot than Oil Country to begin making strides at the NHL level after he finished his prolific NCAA career at Boston University this season with 50 points (23 goals) in 38 games, but he & the Terriers couldn’t win the last game, losing 6-2 to Western Michigan in the final of the Frozen Four on Saturday.

“I think it's the best spot for me to have a good opportunity and develop the most as a hockey player,” Hutson said.

An appearance tonight would burn off a year of his ELC, making him a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 NHL season, and he’s ineligible to play in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs because he wasn’t on Edmonton’s reserve list at March’s Trade Deadline.

Hutson will likely report to Bakersfield after Edmonton's final two regular season games to contribute to the Condors’ late-season playoff push in the AHL, with a weekend home-and-away set against the Henderson Silver Knights going to decide their playoff fate as they chase down the Tucson Roadrunners for the final spot with only three games left on their schedule.

The older brother of Montreal defenceman Lane Hutson and Washington prospect Cole Hutson, Quinn said he grew up watching Toronto forward Mitch Marner and a lot of Chicago Blackhawks like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews during their dynasty in the 2010s after being born and raised in Illinois.

"I like to have good offensive awareness with the puck and make some plays," he described.

Despite being the older than Lane, who's been the standout rookie in the NHL this season, Quinn said he has the experience of his Calder Trophy candidate brother to lean on for advice about playing in a Canadian market and dealing with the emotions of competing in the NHL as a young player.

"He's obviously he's got one of the hardest markets to play in, so he's got a lot of experience, but he said don't worry about it and to just play my game," he said.

Hutson joined this morning's sparsely-attended pre-game skate at Rogers Place because of last night's 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, but that short list of skaters included Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane, along with John Klingberg and Calvin Pickard.

That made made for a bit of a nervy start to his tenure as an Oiler heading into his NHL debut tonight, but he said those are just part of the game.

“Just the pressure part,” he said with a smile. “You definitely get a little bit more nervous seeing guys out there like that – guys I’ve watched my whole life – so you don't want to make them upset. You want to make the right plays out there.”

Nugent-Hopkins was impressed with the short glimpse he got of Hutson's ability during the pre-game skate and is excited to get a full look at the young winger when he makes his NHL debut on Monday, which will also be Nugent-Hopkins' return from two games out due to illness.

"He's a good player. Obviously, he's had a good college career," Nugent-Hopkins said. "I skated with him for about three minutes, so it's hard to say anything else, but I'm sure he's excited.

"It'll be exciting to see him out there."