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Ben Hutton | #27 | D


Samk

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nope, he already attended 2 (back in 2010 and 2011), most players only attend 2-3 of these summer camps.

kind of a shame. mcnally is a guy that needs to be playing as much hockey as possible right now.
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I'm extra excited to watch preseason games this year to see guys like him :)

he won't be at the preseason or the tourney. he's in the NCAA and will be back at school already (unless he signed recently?) Edited by avelanch
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  • 1 month later...
PROSPECT PROFILE: #8 BEN HUTTON

...

Yeah, there are some floaters from the blueline that probably won't keep finding the back of the net in the long run, but there are also quite a few goals from places where you really wouldn't expect a defenseman to be. For example, just look at where he is on the first goal of that highlight package:

article_383114dd-abdb-4715-825d-01999897

Not only has Hutton thrown the penalty kill for a loop by roaming from the far left point to the near right corner, but he also scores from a near impossible angle, beating the goalie from an position that he really doesn't have much business hitting the net from. Having the presence of mind to attack the opposing net like a forward and get yourself into prime scoring locations is one way to theoretically maintain a high shooting percentage, and it looks like Hutton is able to do just that.

Regardless, 15 goals is a hard thing to do if you're a 20-year old D in the NCAA. Justin Schultz, a noted offensive dynamo in college, had 18 in his 20-year old season, while Torey Krug and Brendan Smith had 12 and 15 in their respective campaigns. Former Colorado Avalanche 2nd rounder Colby Cohen also tallied 14 times for Boston University when he was 20, and Preds 4th rounder Garrett Noonan scored 16 times in 2011-2012. Other than that, 15 G, 20-year old D are very few and far between.

Aside from being the only defenseman in the NCAA's Hockey East to lead his team in goals, Hutton also added 14 assists on the year, giving him the Hockey East lead in total scoring by defensemen, and only 23-year old Trevor van Riemsdyk had a higher points per game.

Perhaps the most statistically impressive thing about Hutton's season aren't his lofty point totals, but his obscenely high shot rate. Josh Weissbock found that Hutton averaged 3.4 shots on goal per game this past season, which is a ton for any player, let alone a blueliner. To put 3.4 shots per game into perspective, only 16 skaters, none of whom are defenseman, averaged more shots on goal per game in the NHL last year. They include Alex Ovechkin, Jamie Benn, Evander Kane, Phil Kessel, Tyler Seguin, Max Pacioretty, Corey Perry, and Jeff Skinner. Hutton is obviously an elite offensive D in the NCAA, but what about his own end of the ice?

Hutton's NCAA coach, Red Gendron, certainly thinks that Hutton is as reliable in his end of the ice as he is effective in his opponent's:

SBNation's College Hockey blog, who ranked Hutton as the number 21 prospect in the entire NCAA, shares a similar sentiment:

Hutton was rewarded for his terrific season with the Black Bears by being named to Hockey East's first all-star team, along with teammate and Dallas 2nd round pick Devin Shore, Florida 1st round pick Michael Matheson, Chicago 1st round pick Kevin Hayes, and Calgary 4th rounder and 2014 Hobey Baker winner John Gaudreau. Needless to say, the now 20-year old defenseman has grown by leaps and bounds since being selected as a draft+1 player in the 5th round of 2012.

...

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Hopefully him and Labate will be offered a contract if they so choose to leave college to go pro...would hate to lose good prospects like them.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't be offered contracts, unless they have major downswings in their coming seasons or a crazy injury that forces them to retire or something.

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God, it's hard not to get excited for the future whenever I watch Hutton's 2013-14 highlight pack!

And not just because of all the goals he scored (although they're pretty damn impressive). But because of where he's actually scoring from and all the ice he covers making those plays.

I mean, you see Hutton pretty much using the entire ice surface. He's on the left point. He's on the right point. He's at the top of the umbrella. He's working the right faceoff circle. He's leading the rush. He's going to the net. He's parked below the goal line. He's roving and circling the zone. This kid's everywhere!

The way he moves, just wow! I mean, when he's on the rush, he has absolutely no hesitation in getting right up there--like ahead of all the forwards--and actually leading the rush. When he's venturing deep into the zone, he's not just making a quick circle behind the net, he's finding a scoring position around the net and laying claim to the area. And he has the awareness necessary to know when he needs to get back defensively and know when he can just park himself on the goal line and wait for the set-up for those crazy sharp-angle snipes.

And Hutton's not just an offensive threat. He's great at both ends of the ice. He's been the workhorse and high minute man on many nights for Maine. He's been a mainstay on their penalty kill. He led his team in blocked shots.

He did all that (and more) as a 20-year-old sophomore D.

He's already 6'3" and 200 lbs and while he's at an age where he's very likely to have already reached his full adult height, he'll probably still be able to add strength and bulk to what is an already imposing frame. He's an excellent skater (a skill he's spent his early years working extremely hard to develop), and it's not just "good for a bigger man" skating but at the level where he can often stand out during games as the best skater on the ice. He really has nearly every tool and physical gift you'd look for if you were trying to "build" a quality, two-way NHL defenseman who can play big minutes in all situations, while also excelling on offense and special teams. The only thing he really lacks right now is an NHL quality slap shot (this has been seen as his only obvious weakness) but apparently Hutton plans really focus on adding this tool to his arsenal.

I suppose Canucks Army is right in saying that we don't know what Hutton's ceiling will be and that "we don't really know with any degree of certainty what Ben Hutton will turn into." His development path is one that's a little more difficult to predict than that of say a early round pick who's been playing for a top CHL team. But Hutton is really starting to look like a blue chip NHL prospect with a very good chance to become an impact player on the Canucks' D in the near future.

Like I said at the top, it's really hard not to get excited about this kid. ;)

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God, it's hard not to get excited for the future whenever I watch Hutton's 2013-14 highlight pack!

And not just because of all the goals he scored (although they're pretty damn impressive). But because of where he's actually scoring from and all the ice he covers making those plays.

I mean, you see Hutton pretty much using the entire ice surface. He's on the left point. He's on the right point. He's at the top of the umbrella. He's working the right faceoff circle. He's leading the rush. He's going to the net. He's parked below the goal line. He's roving and circling the zone. This kid's everywhere!

The way he moves, just wow! I mean, when he's on the rush, he has absolutely no hesitation in getting right up there--like ahead of all the forwards--and actually leading the rush. When he's venturing deep into the zone, he's not just making a quick circle behind the net, he's finding a scoring position around the net and laying claim to the area. And he has the awareness necessary to know when he needs to get back defensively and know when he can just park himself on the goal line and wait for the set-up for those crazy sharp-angle snipes.

And Hutton's not just an offensive threat. He's great at both ends of the ice. He's been the workhorse and high minute man on many nights for Maine. He's been a mainstay on their penalty kill. He led his team in blocked shots.

He did all that (and more) as a 20-year-old sophomore D.

He's already 6'3" and 200 lbs and while he's at an age where he's very likely to have already reached his full adult height, he'll probably still be able to add strength and bulk to what is an already imposing frame. He's an excellent skater (a skill he's spent his early years working extremely hard to develop), and it's not just "good for a bigger man" skating but at the level where he can often stand out during games as the best skater on the ice. He really has nearly every tool and physical gift you'd look for if you were trying to "build" a quality, two-way NHL defenseman who can play big minutes in all situations, while also excelling on offense and special teams. The only thing he really lacks right now is an NHL quality slap shot (this has been seen as his only obvious weakness) but apparently Hutton plans really focus on adding this tool to his arsenal.

I suppose Canucks Army is right in saying that we don't know what Hutton's ceiling will be and that "we don't really know with any degree of certainty what Ben Hutton will turn into." His development path is one that's a little more difficult to predict than that of say a early round pick who's been playing for a top CHL team. But Hutton is really starting to look like a blue chip NHL prospect with a very good chance to become an impact player on the Canucks' D in the near future.

Like I said at the top, it's really hard not to get excited about this kid. ;)

this is how i felt after watching his first televised game last season, then it just went up from there for each game they showed of his (4-5 i think). my hype meter was so full it burst all over my keyboard by the time the season was done.

Edited by avelanch
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this is how i felt after watching his first televised game last season, then it just went up from there for each game they showed of his (4-5 i think). my hype meter was so full it burst all over my keyboard by the time the season was done.

Edited by elvis15
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