Macklin Celebrini praises Lane Hutson on Spittin Chiclet’s podcast
If anybody knows what Lane Hutson can do on the ice, it is former Boston University teammate and recent San Jose Sharks first-overall selection, Macklin Celebrini.
Montreal Canadiens top defence prospect Lane Hutson is a special player, his transition into the NHL, albeit a short sample, showed just the type of player that he will be for the Habs.
Celebrini was on Spittin’ Chicklets today and they asked about Lane Hutson, he said he’s never played with a more skilled player and said Lane would burn him in practice with the head fakes too. Said he sees Lane having a great career.
— Naslund26 (@MattyNaslund26) July 2, 2024
So, it should be no surprise that Macklin Celebrini would have some personal experiences of how special Hutson is. The recent first-overall draft selection of the San Jose Sharks noted that Hutson has made him look silly in practice. Celebrini said he hasn't played with a more skilled player - that is high praise from the Sharks rookie.
Those head fakes that he alluded to are one of the biggest weapons for his defensive and offensive game because they enable him to break down the defence each time he rushes the puck. Because he is shifty on his skates, his feet follow his head movements so effortlessly and his deceptiveness is off the charts.
I'm banking on him showing up to Montreal Canadiens camp and having a season that cements him as a top pairing defender. It's not that he needs to be this polished presence right away, but with his deceptive skating and elite vision, it's easy to see him playing a lot. I think his defensive game will be strong, but for the mistakes that he may make, you can coach him through them because he impacts the game in many different ways.
Hutson's NCAA dominance feels like it was just the start
Hutson's growth over two seasons in the NCAA was impossible not to see; he challenges himself to be better every time he plays. There isn't really a way to defend against a player whose game is predicated on making you miss, then exploding up ice. If you give him an inch he takes a mile, either with a quick give-and-go or a quick rush.
Because he is always prodding and planning ways to beat the defence, he is so comfortable with using feints and shimy shakes. It's something that he has done in such a way that you have to guess and if you guess wrong he is gone. It was a big question mark if his style would work for him right away, but he didn't need much time to prove that it does, making moves against the Detroit Red Wings, that veteran defenders might not pull off.
There is plenty of evidence that Hutson is a special defender and Celebrini's comments weren't need to solidify that. But the fact that he has drawn such a big compliment from the Hobey Baker winner is impressive. To be noted, Celebrini grew up playing with Connor Bedard.
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