Canadiens: Lane Hutson, Luke Tuch Are Brewing Something Nice With BU
The Montreal Canadiens have been well represented by their prospects to begin 2023-24, but there has been no better showings than with the Boston University Terriers.
Lane Hutson’s dynamic play has warranted all of the attention, and rightfully so. The Habs have been starved for a superstar, and aside from Cole Caufield, they are still lacking one, so Hutson’s brilliant start to the season has been a positive thing to see. After an explosive rookie season, Hutson’s sustained strong play is reason for excitement.
The second player who has started to look really solid in his final year of NCAA eligibility is Luke Tuch. He plays a power game and is responsible defensively, but his offensive game hasn’t quite shined through, just yet. Cue the senior season coming out party, because Tuch has hit the ground running.
On Saturday night, Tuch’s two-assist performance pushed his point total to 12 points in two games. In comparison to his junior season, Tuch had nine goals and 11 assists through 40 games. His senior year has seen him score four goals and eight assists to start the year.
Hutson looked to have extremely high potential to play on the Canadiens’ number one defensive pairing. Not only that, but he appears to be the solution to the Canadiens’ number-one powerplay quarterback issue. Mike Matheson has done fine, but Hutson is on another level and continues to get better.
Hutson scored his second goal of the weekend, pushing his total to eight goals in nine games. These numbers would be impressive for a forward, but as we know, Hutson is a 5’10” defenseman. His ability to manipulate open space and take a mile when given an inch has been crucial to his explosive first season-plus to his University hockey career.
Tuch, for the most part, appeared to be an ideal fourth-line winger with some physical jam. But if his solid offensive start can be sustained, and developed into something more, Tuch could find himself in a strong position to prove he is more than just a depth piece. Whether or not he ends up a fourth-line option that draws in and out of an NHL lineup, will rely heavily upon this season and his first year of professional hockey in Laval, should the Canadiens decide to ink him to his Entry-Level deal.
As far as the Terriers are concerned, they are benefitting in a big way from their two Habs prospects.
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