Washington Capitals select Cole Hutson No. 43 overall in 2024 NHL Draft

A young American blueliner has found a destination in the NHL.

On Saturday at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the Washington Capitals took U.S. National Team Development product Cole Hutson in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, No. 43 overall.

The 17-year-old came into the draft ranked 55th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis has Hutson No. 37 in this year’s prospect pool.

“He’s defensively flawed,” Ellis explains. “Can get too fancy with the puck at the wrong times and isn’t particularly big. But the upside here is still huge. Like his older brother Lane, Cole has tremendous hockey IQ and can elude attackers as well as anyone. 

Even though his size might be concerning, standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 159 pounds, Hutson is a fast-moving blueliner with excellent vision that makes him a lethal weapon on the offensive end. While the strength of his shot leaves more to be desired, the North Barrington, Illinois native is great at moving the puck out of his own zone, as well as finding teammates in prime scoring areas.

Hutson is slated to join Boston University, following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Lane and Quinn. Both played for the USNTDP before making the jump to BU, and were on the Terriers team that made it to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four this past season. Lane’s efforts led him to being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022, with him making his NHL debut late in the 2023-24 campaign.

Heading into his draft year, Cole is a little bit bigger than Lane was, but Cole still has to work on playing a more physical game that will translate to the collegiate ranks and, eventually, the NHL.

Hutson bolstered his draft stock this past spring in Finland at the IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship, breaking the U.S. record for points by a defenseman at the tournament. In 14 games over two years, Hutson scored 25 points, 20 of which cam as assists, leading both tournaments in d-men scoring. He won gold with the Americans in 2023, before losing to Canada in the Gold Medal Game in May.

Hutson also helped the U.S. win gold at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2022.