Forwards James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, Trevor Connelly, and Teddy Stiga sit among the top six scorers after four games of the preliminary round. Much of the success of those players has revolved around the elite play of defenceman Cole Hutson, who manages the American powerplay with what looks like ease but is a combination of exceptional skill, patience, calm and hockey IQ.
Hutson is leading all defencemen in scoring at the U18s with eight points (two goals, six assists) in four games – all wins by Hutson and the Americans, who concluded their preliminary round by beating Finland 9-4 on Tuesday. Hutson’s eight points puts him in s tie for sixth place in scoring with teammates Connelly and Ziemer. Hutson is also tied for the tournament lead at plus-11.
“My offensive side is what’s kind of needed in my role. I’m a powerplay guy and I move the pucks to the guys that can score,” says Hutson. “The guys that I’ve been playing with make it pretty easy on me – Eiserman, Hagens, Ziemer, Stiga, (Max) Plante – they’ve all been really good all year and I think moving pucks to them and letting them do their thing helps us win.
“I think I’m a pretty good playmaker. I can create space for my teammates, I can make plays from little to nothing there and, with all that, I’m able to take care of my job in the defensive end too.”
Hutson is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound defenceman who is projected to be a second-round selection at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. If that happens, he’ll follow in the footsteps of older brother Lane , who was taken in the second round, 62nd overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 draft. Cole, 18, is the second-youngest of the four Hutson brothers – Quinn is 22 and recently completed his second season alongside Lane, 20, at Boston University, with Lars, 15, playing for Team Illinois 15U AAA.
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