Future Blackhawks Prospect: Is Cole Hutson a First-Round Pick?

The Chicago Blackhawks have two first-round picks, one at #2 and the other at #18. While it will likely be the pick of Artyom Levshunov or Ivan Demidov at number two, who could they take at that 18th spot or potentially trade up a few more spots to snag? Chicago Hockey Now’s Future Blackhawks Prospect will feature a handful of prospects at that spot until the 2024 NHL Draft. Today we look at Cole Hutson.

Cole Hutson At A Glance

Defenseman
18 years old (6/28/06)
Games: 51
Goals-Assists-Points: 15-36-51
League/Team: USHL/USNTDP

The Chicago Blackhawks could think about a defenseman with pick number 18 if they select a forward at pick number two. They probably won’t select two defensemen but there are going to be plenty of good ones to consider.

They might consider Cole Hutson with that second first-round pick (18). He is a great young defenseman coming off a big year with the United States National Team Development Program of the USHL.

He was a point-per-game blue-liner as he had 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 51 games played. For being an 18-year-old kid on the back end, that is a lot of points.

Cole is the younger brother of NHL top prospect Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens. The elder Hutson made his NHL debut at the end of the NCAA season.

Like his brother before him, Cole Hutson will play for Boston University. That is a great place where he will have top tier coaches and teammates to help him develop even further.

He has a small stature but you’d like to think that teams will avoid making the same mistake they made with Lane who slipped into the second round despite being a top-ten talent.

Will Cole Hutson Be There for the Blackhawks?

Chances are that Hutson will still be sitting there at this point. He is seen as the fifth or sixth-best defenseman in the draft. Teams are going to pass on him because of his size. 

Scouting outlets don’t have him ranked higher than 26th, which means he’s far beyond where the Blackhawks are picking. Could he slide then to the second round, where Chicago holds the 34th overall pick?

The Blackhawks, if they wanted to, could be the team that chooses to go for his offensive upside. He may not be exactly like his brother but it is encouraging watching Cole on the same path as Lane. 

Now it remains to be seen where he’ll end up going and whether the lower rankings have pegged Hutson too low.

Macklin Celebrini | Cole Eiserman | Artyom Levshunov | Michael Hage | Ivan Demidov | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkley Catton | Adam Jiricek |Konsta Helenius| Sacha Boisvert | Trevor Connelly | Liam Greentree |Tij Iginla| Zeev Buium |