Exciting Canadiens Prospect Named to USA WJC Selection Camp

It should come as no surprise that Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson was named to Team USA’s World Junior Championship selection camp ahead of the tournament which will take place in Halifax and Moncton over the holiday season.

The tournament begins on Dec.26 and runs until Jan.5.

USA WJC camp roster:

F: Blake, Brindley, Boucher, Connors, Cooley, Devine, Duke, Gauthier, Laba, Leonard, Lipkin, Chaz Lucius, Lund, McGroarty, Savage, Smith, Snuggerud, Stramel

D: Behrens, Buium, Casey, Chesley, Hreschuk, Hughes, Hutson, Mittelstadt, Ufko

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) December 5, 2022

Hutson isn’t just enjoying a good season.

By all accounts, he’s in the midst of one of the best seasons in NCAA history for an 18-year-old freshman defenceman.

He’ll be joining Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier and Jimmy Snuggerud as the players expected to play a significant role for the United States.

By The Numbers

With six goals and 11 assists in 14 games, Hutson leads all NCAA defencemen in scoring, and he’s currently second in scoring among Boston University players, trailing only forward Matt Brown by one point.

It’s worth noting that, besides being a forward, Brown is five years older than his teammate.

Simply put, Hutson is quickly becoming a dominant force in the NCAA.

He’s already outscored many elite defencemen that came before him, and there seems to be no end in sight to his promising production seeing as he’s made a habit of producing in bunches. Hutson has seven multi-point efforts in just 14 games, making him one of the most exciting Canadiens players in the prospect pool.

Not His First Rodeo

If named to the roster, this will be the first time Hutson plays for Team USA’s under-20 team. Although it is not the first he will represent his country, seeing as he played for the United States in two U-18 tournaments, which led to eight points in six games last season, as well as five assists in five games back in 2020-21.

Last year Team USA struggled in the tournament, bowing out by a score of 4-2 to the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals. The United States opens its 2023 tournament on boxing day, facing Latvia on Dec.26. The puck drop is scheduled for 5 PM ET.