Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson is taking college hockey by storm

An elite handful of hockey's best defensemen today once dominated the American collegiate circuit before taking the NHL by storm and cementing themselves as the future of the position.

Within the last half decade, the likes of Cale Makar, Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes have each developed their respective craft in college, then almost seamlessly transitioned to the pros and looked right at home.

Lane Hutson, a freshman at Boston University and a 2022 second-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens, is looking like he's next in line.

The 19-year-old has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport, registering 38 points in 29 games. His 1.31 points per game average is good enough for seventh in the nation, up there with the likes of 2022 lottery picks Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud.

In his first college hockey season, Hutson is doing things few others have done before. He is a big reason why the Boston University Terriers rank fifth in the country in goals per game (3.9) and total goals scored (117). His 0.97 assists per game rank third in the nation, behind fellow Canadiens prospect Sean Farrell and projected 2023 top-3 pick Adam Fantilli.

Hutson has also cleaned up the slate of individual awards so far this season, earning Hockey East Defender of the Month in October and November, Hockey East Player of the Week and Hockey East Rookie of the Week on two occasions.

The first thing you notice when watching Hutson play is his comfort with the puck on his stick. His head is always up, scanning the ice and adjusting his stride to move into space and create chance after chance in both the neutral and offensive zones. Paired with quick hands and elite puck-handling, Hutson is as good as it gets when walking the blue line.

"From the point, he is the NCAA's most dynamic, most effective, most creative activator, because he's able to create advantages for himself," Elite Prospects' Mitchell Brown told Yahoo Sports Canada. "Those fast-twitch hands, the nonstop deception, the quick edges, the changes of pace and direction; he's always deceiving his opponents."

Hutson's unique skillset makes him a tricky prospect to project at the NHL level, but his play does compare to some of the league's most gifted offensive defensemen. His shiftiness from the point is reminiscent of Hughes, while his ability to move around the offensive zone and pick out a teammate for a scoring chance is a skill mastered by Fox.