Canadiens Prospect Watch: Hutson Sets Historic Scoring Rate

By now you’ve surely heard about the exploits of Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson.

And while the highlights have been plentiful, it’s important to view his impressive production with the proper context in mind, because it makes his season look even better.

Hutson earned assists in both goals scored by Boston University in their final game of the regular season, finishing his freshman season in the NCAA with 12 goals and 31 assists in 33 games, good for a little over 1.3 points per game.

By The Numbers

He ended his rookie season by leading all defencemen in points, and he also possesses one of the best points-per-game scoring rates in the entire NCAA.

Those aren’t just good numbers compared to most freshmen in NCAA history, they’re good numbers, full stop.

The fact that he put together such an impressive season as a freshman sets him in a class apart.

Despite playing fewer games than his competition, Hutson managed to outscore every single U-19 defenceman in the past 30 years, and consequently, owns the best points-per-game scoring rates in the NCAA.

Even if we include defencemen who played in the NCAA when it was far from a high-end league and most games were defence optional, the Canadiens prospect still figures among the best U-19 players in NCAA history

He’s one of the main reasons Boston University is enjoying a fantastic season and is currently ranked seventh in the country.

To give you an idea of his importance to the Terriers, we can simply look at his overall participation in their scoring plays this year, which was over 30 percent.

Updated Involvement percentage (% of team goals scored/assisted) of some top NCAA defencemen in their Draft +1:

Cale Makar (2017-18) – 21/104 – 20.1%
Adam Fox (2016-17) – 40/146 – 27.4%
Quinn Hughes (2018-19 – sophomore) – 33/110 – 30%

Lane Hutson (2022-23) – 43/135 – 31.8% https://t.co/5Gjnh3Zqh3

— Hadi Kalakeche (@HadiK_Scouting) March 5, 2023

Of course, there’s more to hockey than just scoring points, especially for a defenceman.

Hutson’s defensive game is far from his strong point, mostly because his offensive game is off the charts. Earlier in the season he struggled with defensive positioning and sometimes failed to take the proper trajectory to intercept oncoming rushes at the blue line. It was something he worked on with Adam Douglas and the Canadiens’ development team this summer. Not exactly a glaring weakness, but a weakness nonetheless.

As a freshman, Lane Hutson (MTL) is already the top-ranked offensive defenceman in the entire data set. The elite production is backed up by both off-the-charts expected goals output and playmaking numbers. Dominant across the board in transition, too. #GoHabsGo https://t.co/UZ7FqaKs5P pic.twitter.com/6odP7QuaWC

— Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) February 28, 2023

Not only has he improved his positioning, but I’d also go as far as saying his gap control is now sufficiently adequate to be considered an asset in his skill set.

As for his decision-making, Hutson has done a great job picking his spots.

Oftentimes, we’d see him put too much pressure on himself when the Terriers were down by a goal, which led to some questionable rushes in the offensive zone, and consequently, situations that led to the rookie losing the puck deep behind the enemy’s goal.

Those situations are few and far between, as Hutson has quickly adapted to the speed and intensity of the NCAA.

What’s next?

It may be tempting to suggest the talented Canadiens prospect is ready to take the next step and begin his professional career.

But he still has to add a little muscle to his frame, and there are still a few aspects of his game that could stand to be improved. Another year in the NCAA has little to no chance to decrease his overall potential.

The annals of hockey history are littered with endless prospects who failed to meet their potential due to being rushed to the NHL, whereas there are few if any players who would argue they spent too much time honing their craft before making their professional debut.

When it comes to an elite prospect such as Hutson, erring on the side of caution is rarely a bad choice.