The Montreal Canadiens are getting impressive production from the young players on their roster this season. They could have quite a bit more help on the way in the near future as well.
That help could be on full display during the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships in Moncton and Halifax later this month. The team is poised to be well represented at the event with Habs prospects from around the world looking to make noise on the world stage.
Juraj Slafkovsky may remain in the NHL instead of playing, but Filip Mesar is sure to play a big role for Slovakia. Oliver Kapanen will be back for Finland, Vinzenz Rohrer will suit up for Austria and Adam Engstrom will likely have a role on Sweden’s team.
Add Lane Hutson to that long list as he was invited to join the United States at their training camp in preparation for the tournament that begins on December 26th. Hutson was invited to the summer camp that involved players participating in the 2022 summer World Juniors as well as those who were on the short list for the 2023 tournament.
There are three returning blue liners among the ten that have been invited to the evaluation camp. Hutson, with his incredible play so far this season at Boston University, has a really good chance of making the team.
The 18 year old left shooting defender has scored 17 points in 14 games during his first NCAA season. He is an incredibly shifty and skilled puck carrier who creates scoring chances with ease on nearly every shift he plays in college hockey.
While he is a slight defender, listed at 5’9″ and 155 pounds, he has not had a problem defending at the NCAA level, and even if he did, his incredible offensive instincts would make up for any blemishes in the defensive zone. He will likely carve out a huge role for the Americans at this year’s tournament, and is eligible to return in 2024 when he would further dominate the event.
The evaluation camp will take place from December 12 – 17 in Plymouth, Michigan before the team heads for the Atlantic provinces to ready for the World Junior tournament. They will play their preliminary round games in Moncton, and will face Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Finland.
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