Hutson’s relentless drive and work ethic land him Calder Trophy win
Lane Hutson’s work ethic made him the fourth defenceman in NHL history to lead all rookies in scoring and also helped the him clear over fellow Calder finalists Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini.
admin
MONTREAL— It was the saucer pass that launched Lane Hutson’s rookie-of-the-year campaign: a three-zone sifter that flew over four heads, landed on Emil Heineman’s stick and served as the first of countless viral clips to come that would exhibit his unique—and apparently unrivaled—ability from September to May.
When we saw Hutson send that puck during one of the first scrimmages of Montreal Canadiens training camp, it felt like his Tiger Woods, “Hello, world,” moment.
We don’t think Hutson threw the pass with any intent of sending the message he’d have a chance to be the first member of the organization to win the Calder Trophy since Ken Dryden did it in 1972, but it had that effect.
Everything else we saw from the 21-year-old before and after that explained how he earned 165 of 191 first-place votes for the award from the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
On Tuesday, a a week and a half after being presented the Calder by family, friends and the NHL at a surprise party in his home state of Illinois, Hutson sat down for a virtual press conference from the dressing room of an arena in Boston to discuss the honour.
It was a fitting setting for the player who seemingly never feels more at home than when he’s at the rink.
This time he was there for Bauer Hockey’s annual combine, to, in his words, “try out some new skates, sticks.”
Every other time over the past year, Hutson was at the arena to work on the craft that enabled him to make history in his first NHL campaign.
With 60 assists, he tied Larry Murphy for the most generous season a rookie defenceman has ever had in the NHL. With 66 points, he fell beneath only Murphy, Gary Suter and Brian Leetch for the most ever recorded by a rookie blueliner.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374093774112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374093774112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374093774112&cmsid=384"; /* var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); } */
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-108317" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6374093774112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6374093774112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/canadiens-hutson-honoured-to-win-calder-trophy-for-doing-what-he-loves/" }); });
But Hutson did pass Hall-of-Famers Nick Lidstrom, Ray Bourque, Phil Housley and Chris Chelios along the way, and it wasn’t just the highlight-reel stuff he started pulling out in training camp that got him over those mountains. It was Hutson’s work ethic that made him the fourth defenceman in NHL history to lead all rookies in scoring and also helped him clear over fellow Calder finalists Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini.
“He’s relentless,” said Canadiens director of development Rob Ramage after watching Hutson play in the Prospects Showdown at the Bell Centre on Sept. 15.
“I think his biggest skill is his desire to play the game, his passion to play the game,” said Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent, who deployed Hutson roughly every second shift in that game against Toronto Maple Leafs prospects after watching him work tirelessly through the first few days of rookie camp.
What Hutson showed then was what he showed until the season wrapped with him skating 27:11 in the Game 5 loss to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs: that he had an insatiable appetite to improve.
In between, the Canadiens took some days off. Hutson didn’t.
Why?
“I think just the feeling of winning hockey games and playing at the highest level and doing it in repeatable ways and doing it the right way,” Hutson said on Tuesday. “It kind of just drives me to want to help win and want to be a part of a winning culture.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374094649112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374094649112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6374094649112&cmsid=384"; /* var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); } */
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-267802" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6374094649112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/6374094649112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/hutson-credits-canadiens-organization-for-propelling-him-to-calder-trophy/" }); });
He referred to the personal achievement of becoming the seventh member of the organization to win the Calder “just a plus” to being a Montreal Canadien, and he credited Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, Martin St. Louis and his teammates for providing the ultimate support system to enable him to “feel comfortable” to learn the NHL game on his own.
He said he was thankful they only intervened when necessary.
Hutson was elated when Gorton and Hughes, upon recommendations from amateur scouting directors Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov, stepped up to the podium at the Bell Centre and selected him 62nd overall in the 2022 Draft.
He was an inch shorter then and several pounds beneath his current playing weight of 162, but they believed he could be a difference maker.
Gorton and Hughes then signed Hutson to his three-year, entry-level contract after he performed at a high level during his sophomore season at Boston University.
That’s where Hutson scored 30 goals and put up 97 points in 77 games over two years that saw him finish as a Hobey Baker finalist.
The Holland, Mich., native then made his NHL debut with the Canadiens on Apr. 15, 2024, against the Detroit Red Wings.
He notched his first assist in the league in a 5-4 loss that night and picked up his second one in a 5-4 loss to the Wings a night later.
St. Louis used the word “excellent” to describe his performances.
Then the coach watched Hutson deliver a spectacular training camp this past fall before throwing him into the deep end right from the start of this season.
Hutson played 18:22 in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs. He played at least 20 minutes in 70 of the 81 regular-season games that followed.
St. Louis moved him from the second power-play unit to the first one halfway through November, and he moved him from his natural side on the left to the right when the Canadiens needed him to play there in their post-4 Nations Face-Off push to the playoffs.
No matter what challenges came, Hutson persevered.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371115525112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371115525112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371115525112&cmsid=384"; /* var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); } */
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-313996" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371115525112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371115525112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/canadiens-hutson-drives-in-for-a-sick-glove-side-snipe/" }); });
He made highlight-reel passes along the way and scored some insane goals as well before posting five points in five playoff games.
But Hutson’s rookie season was just as marked by his determination to be the best version of himself every single day.
Plenty of people thought he was too small to play in the league, let alone star in it.
But Hutson worked tirelessly to prove to himself that he could.
“Honestly, I couldn’t care,” he said. “People are going to have their opinions about me as a player or whatever it may be, so for me I just try to have my own thing and help the team in any way I can I try not to look into what other people say.”
What they’ve said about Hutson since is that he’s one of the most impactful players to have debuted at his position.
That was recognized in the voting for the Calder, which saw him nearly unanimously selected as the recipient and placed him at the head of this uber-talented rookie class.
“It’s cool. It’s a huge honour. I’m happy about it,” Hutson said. “But I just enjoy playing hockey and playing for the Montreal Canadiens.”
-
-
Watch the Stanley Cup Final on Sportsnet
With the Stanley Cup within reach, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are set to battle once again for hockey’s ultimate prize. Watch every game of the Final on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
He’ll be doing that for the foreseeable future, with his contract still valid for one more season and his first opportunity to sign an extension coming July 1.
Hutson said, when the Canadiens held exit meetings on May 2, he’d like to take advantage of that right away.
But he made it clear on Tuesday that his main focus was continuing to get better on the ice and continuing to get stronger off it.
It’s labour Hutson doesn’t view as a chore.
“When you do something you love,” he said, “it’s not really work.”
It’s the attitude that helped Hutson capture the Calder, and there’s no doubt he’ll continue employing it to produce an even more electric sophomore season.
