Capitals’ Cole Hutson looks like a magician at the World Juniors

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis(sellishockey)
Capitals’ Cole Hutson looks like a magician at the World Juniors
Credit: (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network

OTTAWA – When it comes to Cole Hutson, it’s all business, all the time.

You’ll never get too much emotion from him, on or off the ice. He’s always focused on his job – and it’s probably why he’s so good at it.

So it was a bit refreshing to see his reaction after the 1-0 goal against Canada in the round-robin when he proceeded to taunt the crowd with his “I can’t hear you” celebration. It was something he said he thought about doing before the game, knowing how intense the rivalry on New Year’s Eve was between the two North American giants.

Hutson is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson. The elder Hutson was one of the top defensemen at this tournament a year ago, and now Cole – property of the Washington Capitals – looks destined to challenge for top D-man honors.

And just like his brother, he has a shot at becoming a World Junior Champion, with the United States set to take on Finland for gold at 7:30 PM ET on Sunday.

Hutson enters the final game in a five-way for first in tournament scoring with two goals and seven assists for nine points. Sure, five of the points came against Germany in the opening game, but Hutson was a standout defender against Canada, in particular. He’s also near the top in most other major statistical categories, too. According to SportContract, Hutson’s 69.1 5-on-5 Corsi-for percentage is third among all players.

Regardless of what happens in the final, Hutson has the edge over his brother in single-tournament points. Lane had four points in 2023 and six assists in 2024, so Cole has bragging rights there. But Lane also won two medals, including gold last year – and if the Americans are going to repeat for the first time ever, they’ll need Cole to have the best game of his life.

Fortunately, scouts have loved what they’ve seen from Hutson from the most part. He’s far from a perfect defender, but his individual skill has been on full display.

“He’s entertaining to watch with the puck, always has been. But the decision-making is better, too,” one scout said. “In the past, he had EJ Emery to lean on when he made defensive mistakes, but Hutson has cleaned those up since going to college.”

Hutson’s five-point effort against Germany was incredible – and important, as the Germans still managed to score four times. He scored a nice goal against Finland, but had some iffy moments defensively. That game against Canada, though, was icing on the cake – he did a bit of everything: scoring a goal, taking lanes away, and getting feisty.

Hutson has averaged 18:38 minutes each night while seeing some power play time. Zeev Buium has been USA’s best defenseman, no doubt about it. But Hutson has been USA’s go-to offensive defenseman, just like his brother, for the past two years. His ability to outskate opponents (not always faster, but his edgework is tremendous) makes him incredibly difficult to contain, even with the skilled talent he’s often facing.

Hutson owns the USA Hockey National Team Development Program record for most points among defenders at 119, so that’s not surprising. He’s a clever playmaking defender who can be prone to making mistakes and not having the speed to make up for it. But scouts have noticed that he looks a bit more grounded and calculated in his movements to not try and outdo himself – something playing against older, stronger competition in college has helped with.

Speaking of college, the transition has been solid. He’s up to 14 points in 16 games with Boston University of the NCAA. He’s not dominating by any means, but he’s four points behind the team’s scorer – his other brother, Quinn Hutson. Cole isn’t on pace to match his brother’s freshman season of 48 points in 39 games, but that 2022-23 team was far better overall. At the very least, Hutson is still one of the best college freshmen right now.

Scouts aren’t completely sure what type of player Hutson will be – many point out he’s not to the level of his brother at the same age – but they all agree his creativity and read-and-reacts are top-level at this tournament. Many of the same concerns from his draft year persist – he’s a good skater, but he lacks high-end speed. His defensive game is still a work in progress, especially compared to someone like Buium or Hutson’s defense partner, Adam Kleber.

But in short tournaments where skill often trumps everything, Hutson is showing it all in spades. And Capitals fans have to love what they’re seeing right now.

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