Lane Hutson Could Rip World Junior’s Apart

Montreal Canadiens 2022 secound round draft steal Lane Hutson has had all of the attention since he first donner the famous Habs sweater.

Now, he is firing on all cylinders, which the staff here at A Winning Habit have swooned over much like the rest of the hockey world He is flashy, and dynamic and has consistently been his team’s best player. You can make an argument for Macklin Celebrini but don’t forget that Hutson hasn’t played second fiddle to the Vancouver, BC native.

Hutson looks unstoppable, and an Original Six team with well over 100 years of hockey history, has taken notice. Some have even uttered that they feel Montreal got the best player in the 2022 NHL Draft. But it wasn’t Juraj Slafkovsky, it was and is the guy who was selected 62 overall.

Undersized has become a measuring stick that have left some general managers with cake on their faces. Sure, you can’t compete in the playoffs with a team full of sub six foot tall players. But Martin St. Louis, Quinn Hughes, Cole Caufield have all faced the same music. And it’s worked out just fine for them.

Hutson has incredible potential to become the exact player that the Habs need. Offensively there are some blemishes to polish, but the blue line is looking just fine. And Hutson continues rocketing through his development.

World Junior Championships - Lane Hutson’s Playground? 

For all the reasons mentioned above, I have a hard time finding another single player in the tournament whose impact on his team will be so big. 

Personally, I think it’s a fair prediction to suggest that Hutson could very well have his name in the hat for captain. Cutter Gauthier, Jimmy Snuggerud and Rutger McGroarty will also be in the mix. But to me, I think this team will go where Hutson leads from the back end.

I have no reason to believe that Hutson won’t be the catalyst for the Americans. He has proven time and time again, that he can elevate his play and appear to have ice in his veins during the pressure cooker moments of a game. It will expectedly be more of the same come Boxing Day in Sweden against the Norwegian squad. 

It’s meant as no insult to the previously mentioned forwards, nor the others that will fill out the American roster. But, to put things into perspective I would bet the shirt on my back, that entire team is excited to see what Hutson has in store. And if called upon to play a shift with Hutson on the ice, whichever player it is, will gladly hop over the boards.

I think Hutson could end up being named the tournament’s MVP, the best defenseman and possibly lead the tournament in points. That’s not even mentioning the broken ankles, that he will cause with his ridiculous edge work and jukes. And the goaltenders will very well be in the crowd retrieving their jockstraps a time or two after facing Hutson one-on-one. 

Habs fans, it’s time to get a little bit excited, because we get to see Hutson against the best players of his age group. The non-NHL ones, anyways. Hutson is set up for a special tournament, and we will get to sit back in our Christmas pyjamas and hot chocolate and watch Lane cook.