NHL Draft profiles: Hutson thinks Penguins 'have a lot of interest'

This is the seventh story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential second-round picks for the Penguins at 44th and 46th overall.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Cole Hutson told me at the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Buffalo that it "hasn't really quite set in yet" that is name is in the record books.

Hutson this season broke the U.S. National Team Development Program's all-time record for career points by a defenseman with 119 (25 goals, 94 assists) in 112 games over two seasons. It's a record that had been untouched since 2000, when former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach J.D. Forrest finished his two years in the program with 111 points (23 goals, 88 assists) over 208 games. 

"It's obviously pretty cool to see your name with all those good D," Hutson said. "It's probably something I'm going to look back at when I'm 40, 50, done playing hockey and think that was pretty cool."

Hutson, who won't turn 18 years old until the first day of the draft on June 28, is a left-handed defenseman listed at 5 foot 10 and 165 pounds. He understandably describes himself as an "offensive defenseman" first and foremost, and models his game after other offensive defensemen like Adam Fox and Quinn Hughes.

"I can create plays from little to nothing there," he said. "And I think I can do a good job on the defensive side of the puck too."

Forward Teddy Stiga, who played with Hutson at the program, called his teammate a "special player."

"He's a great guy in the locker room and on the ice," Stiga said of Hutson "Obviously, he's a really special player, I think he's one of the most elusive guys out there. You can never, never get a body on him on the blue line. Going against him in practice is always fun, trying to stop him. I think when you're out there with him playing, you're gonna have a lot of offensive chances. He's really good at diving down in the offensive zone and kind of being like a fourth forward out there. It's really fun."

The UNTDP has a U17 and a U18 team. In 2022-23, as a 16-year-old, Hutson split time between both teams. He was a point-per-game with the U17 team, scoring eight goals and 34 assists in 42 games. He was over a point-per-game with the U18 team, scoring two goals and 24 assists in 19 games. He also skated in 32 games with the USNTDP's team in the USHL, scoring four goals and 21 assists in 32 games.

This year, with the U18 team, Hutson was a point-per-game with 15 goals and 36 assist in 51 games. He scored three goals and nine assists in 19 games in the USHL.

Hutson played for the U.S. in the U18 World Junior Championship, taking home the silver medal after a loss to Canada in the gold medal game. He had four goals and nine assists in seven games, leading the entire tournament in goals, assists, and points by a defenseman. He was named the tournament's top defenseman, was named a top-3 player on the U.S., and was part of the tournament All-Star Team.

Hutson is on the smaller side for a defenseman at 5 foot 10, and could stand to improve defensively too, which is why he's expected to be a second-round pick later this month despite all that scoring. Improving defensively is his biggest focus moving forward.

"I think you can never be too good at defense," he said. "I think just just gapping up and closing the play before they even develop."

Many ranking services have Hutson as a mid-second-round pick, right about where the Penguins pick at 44th and 46th overall. Bob McKenzie and FC Hockey ranked Hutson 41st, Elite Prospects ranked him 47th, and Dobber Prospects ranked him 51st.

Hutson didn't disclose exactly how many teams he met with at the combine, only saying "a good amount." He did tell me that the Penguins were one of the teams to interview him, however.

"It was definitely a pretty good meeting," Hutson told me of his talks with the Penguins. "I think they have a lot of interest."

Hutson's older brother Lane is a defenseman who was a second-round pick of the Canadiens in 2022 and will turn pro full-time next season. The Canadiens were another team to interview Cole, and asked him their usual "Which animal would you be?" question. Cole picked a narwhal, for the record, "because they're rare, and they're one of a kind."

Hutson is slated to attend Boston University next season. Like any prospect drafted in the mid-second round, it'll be a couple years before he even makes the jump to pro hockey, giving him some time to add some strength and work on his defensive game. 

Hutson, given his great offensive game but smaller stature, seems to be more of a boom-or-bust type of prospect. If he can translate his strengths at the NHL level, he has the potential to be a real gem ... but there are going to be questions about whether his game will translate. With the Penguins having two picks in the second round, and needing to restock their pool of defensemen especially, it might not be a bad idea to take a swing at someone like Hutson with one of the picks, and use their other second-rounder on a safer bet,