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True steal by Kent Hughes: the Montreal Canadiens have acquired a 70-point defenseman by deciding to draft Lane Hutson

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MarcO
November 14, 2023  (0:22)
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During the 2022 draft, several teams passed over the opportunity to select the young and talented defenseman Lane Hutson. The reason for this was the young man's size.

Scouts strongly doubted that the defender, who at the time measured 5 feet 8 inches, would be able to maintain his dominance in professional hockey. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton were not afraid and jumped at the chance to select him at the 62nd spot in the draft.

A year and a half later, now measuring 5 feet 10 inches and weighing 160 pounds, he is considered one of the best prospects in the organization. His sometimes high-risk maneuvers continue to work and are often very spectacular.

His coach with the Boston University Terriers, Jay Pandolfo, has nothing but good words for the CH prospect. He even compares his defenseman to none other than Adam Fox, a 70-point-plus defensemen in the NHL.

Wow.

"Lane has always been special offensively, but I feel he's much more comfortable in defensive missions now. He uses his stick a lot more to cut off plays, and the space he leaves between him and the puck carrier, 'the gap,' is much tighter this year.

He's unique and his intelligence and vision of the game are so much above average. If I had to choose a player he reminds me of, I'd say Adam Fox, against whom I've coached with the Boston Bruins." - Jay Pandolfo

Hutson, who is only 19 years old, is, according to Pandolfo, a big part of the opposing teams' game plan. The fact that he continues to dominate against 23-24-year-old men is very impressive.

"I'm pretty sure a big part of the game plan for all the clubs we face is: how do we stop Lane Hutson? He faces 23 or 24-year-old players whose sole mission is to slow him down. You can't just show up at the arena and think you're going to do whatever you want. That's the challenge he will face every night, but he's ready for it. Lane is a competitive youngster who loves challenges." - Jay Pandolfo

After a 48-point season in 39 games last season, Hutson has accumulated five points in as many games this campaign. The upper body injury he suffered at the start of the season, causing him to miss a game, doesn't seem to affect him at all. He seems very motivated to show everyone that his size will not be a problem in the future!

"I'm even more confident and comfortable than last year. I know there's pressure on me, but it's something that motivates me" - Lane Hutson

Via HF

POLL

Do you believe that Lane Hutson will be as good as Adam Fox?

Yes39169.9 %
No16830.1 %
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