Hutson Leads U.S. Blueliners Into WJC

USA Hockey looks to accomplish a pair of milestones they have never accomplished at the World Junior Championships in Minnesota this holiday season, as the seven-time gold medalists aim to win a title on their home soil for the first time, as well as win three straight golds for the first time in the tournament, a feat which hasn’t been accomplished since Canada won five in a row from 2005 to 2009.

Leading the charge for the Americans will be defenseman Cole Hutson, who led the tournament in scoring last year in Ottawa, recording 3 goals and 8 assists for the U.S., and becoming the first defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring. Hutson will be returning to the U.S. roster and looking to bring his prowess to the international stage again in what will be his last trip to the tournament.

Since last year’s tournament, Hutson reached the national title game with the Boston University Terriers, was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year after recording 48 points in 39 games, and followed up this season with 20 points in 18 games, and was named Hockey East Defender of the Month twice so far in the first half of the NCAA season. Hutson leads the Terriers in points, assists, and shots this season, and leads the team in conference play in goals (5) and points (13).

While Boston University has struggled to regain the form that had them one win away from a national championship last year with a younger roster due to turnover and reached the holiday with a 9-8-1 mark that currently has them outside of the tournament field, Hutson has still been one of the most effective players on the roster. Along with New York Islanders first-round pick forward Cole Eiserman, the pair have been the drivers for the Terriers’ offense, combining for 15 goals and 32 points so far this season.

Hutson is an aggressive defenseman, using his skating to push the puck up ice and create offensive opportunities, and while his style requires a stay-at-home defenseman paired with him to negate open ice created with him vacating the blue line for a rush, he has been mostly effective, notching three game-winning-goals so far this season – a third of BU’s total. Two of those goals have come in overtime, and he accounts for all of the Terriers’ overtime game-winners this season, both coming in November against Merrimack and Northeastern.

The three-on-three overtime format is a natural fit for Hutson, who takes the puck up ice aggressively and has been able to complete end-to-end rushes, using his skill and speed to put pressure on the opposing defense. And Hutson, who is brother to last year’s Calder Trophy winner Lane, may already be past where he was in his college career, and Cole already has more points at Worlds than his brother had in two trips to the tournament in 2023 and 2024.

On the U.S. roster, expect to see more of the same, as his strength comes rushing the puck, and he has seen success doing so in last year’s tournament. He already has chemistry with Eiserman with two years spent together on Commonwealth Avenue, and was part of last year’s gold-medal roster, and also from his days at the National Team Development Program with Boston College Eagle standout James Hagens, a first-rounder with the Boston Bruins this past summer.

Like his brothers Lane and Quinn, Hutson is also expected to reach the NHL soon, with the Washington Capitals having picked him in the second-round of the 2024 Draft, with him likely being added to the roster once BU’s season wraps up this spring, which could come as early as mid-March if the Terriers don’t make the tournament cut.

In Washington, Hutson would be reunited with his former National Team Development Program teammate Ryan Leonard, who was also one of the WJC stars last year before joining the Capitals following Boston College’s season finishing this past spring.

Clearly, the challenge for Washington would be to make sure to pair Hutson with someone who is defensively responsible to allow him to rush the push-up ice, as that is the strength of his game. But while the World Juniors is a showcase for young talent to break onto the NHL scene, it’s pretty clear that Hutson has an impressive college and international resume and will be making his mark in the nation’s capital sooner than later.

And clearly, his brother made his mark with an outstanding debut season with the Montreal Canadiens, and the Capitals hope he can replicate that kind of success after his jump to the NHL, and while Lane has been more of a passer since making the jump, Cole may have a bit more edge to be able to bring his rushes to the next level to essentially become a fourth forward at times.

And in Minnesota with the tournament in the U.S. for the first time since 2018, Hutson looks to help the Americans make history, both trying for a three-peat for the first time for the U.S., as well as grabbing gold in a tournament held on home ice for the first time ever.