While the NHL entry draft is still four weeks away, there is no shortage of profiles of potential draftees, including several Terriers. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked his top 100 draft picks, offering profiles on each:
19. Lane Hutson — LHD, U.S. NTDP, 5-foot-8
The reality is there aren’t many defencemen Hutson’s size who play in the NHL, even as the game changes. And those guys have never been selected in the first round. But there aren’t many players who play like Hutson in hockey either. I often get asked just how high he’d go if he were 6-foot-3 and the reality is that he wouldn’t be able to do a lot of what makes him so interesting at that size. He’s a unique player who uses a light (though not powerful) stride to create entries and exits, weave past coverage, escape pressure, and find or create seams.
He sees the ice as well as anyone in the draft, regularly identifying plays a step ahead of the opposition. He’s got an uncanny knack for executing long east-to-west plays, whether that’s feathering high, leading saucer passes with perfect weight cross-ice or flinging a hard pass to a streaking teammate’s tape. He makes a ton of plays under pressure when other players would panic (though sometimes he could actually use some hurry-up to his game haha). Inside the offensive zone, though his shot lacks power, he acts as a fourth forward with his ability to slide off the line and create.
He’s got shakes and shimmies to spare, routinely making opposing defenders miss one-on-one in all three zones. He’s one of the most clever players in the draft. And while his size will continue to make evaluators pause, I actually quite like the way he defends. He gets back to so many loose pucks that he doesn’t have to rely all that much on engaging in battles and even when he does, his positioning and active stick help him disrupt opposing carriers and break up plays. But above all else, he’s the kind of player where when you think you’ve put him in a difficult spot or you’ve got him cornered, he’ll show you that he isn’t with a spin (or a spin into a spin!), a fake (with his eyes, or head, or shoulders, or hands, or feet, or each) or his sublime vision through layers. He just looks right past what’s in front of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a sly No. 4 defenceman in time. I’m fascinated to see where he’s picked, because I wouldn’t shy away from taking him in the late first and if he’s around on Day 2 it’d be a no-brainer for me.
71. Ryan Greene — C, Green Bay Gamblers, 6-foot-1
A top prospect out of Eastern Canada growing up, Greene, a Newfoundland native, committed at a young age to Boston University and has followed through with it, passing up the opportunity to be a top pick into the QMJHL and playing instead first for South Kent School’s Selects Academy (where he won the 16U national championship) and then Green Bay in the USHL after they drafted him with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 futures draft. Greene’s 51 points in 59 games led the Gamblers in scoring this year to follow up on a strong season a year ago with a steady — though not steep — progression.
He’s got a pro frame, a lean build to fill out, a smooth (though not explosive) skating stride, and a well-rounded, always-in-the-mix game that made him an all-situations player in the USHL. The strength of his game offensively rests in his ability to handle to the interior and then use crowds to make soft little plays to teammates, or to draft to the perimeter and feed pucks into space. He was also one of the USHL’s most proficient players on the power play, with 28 of his 51 points coming on the man advantage. I’d like to see him look to attack into his own looks a little more (he actually has a very accurate wrister), but that will come with some muscle. I debated ranking Greene in the mid-60s and expect Greene to have an immediate impact at BU, where he should get a top-nine role from the jump as a freshman.
74. Devin Kaplan — RW, U.S. NTDP, 6-foot-2
There’s always one depth forward at the NTDP who flies under the radar and reveals himself to be better than the ice time he was afforded (or lack thereof). And Kaplan feels like that guy in this group. There were games this year where he was playing on USA’s fourth line and he was one of their best players. He’s a big, strong kid with a bit of a pitchfork in his stride who works hard to compensate for some of the heaviness in that stride. He spent a lot of time with the puck on his stick along the cycle in the lower third of the offensive zone this year, where he’s sturdy over pucks and opposing players struggle to keep him from pushing to the front of the net. But I’ve seen him flash both a quick and accurate shot and some quiet playmaking instincts. He was one of the program’s more well-rounded 2004-born players and there are a few of them in this group.
In NHL.com’s mock first-round of the draft, both writers project Hutson to be selected in the first round. Adam Kimmelman has him at #18, while Mike Morreale puts him at #25. Chris Peters’ Daily Faceoff post projects Hutson #21, Kaplan #59, Greene #70 and 2023 recruit Michael LaStarza at #99.
From NHL.com:
Sizing up the situation
Lane Hutson (5-8, 148) came to the (NHL) combine prepared to ease any concern teams might have had about his ability to play in the NHL at his current size.
"I've seen an endocrinologist for my bone age and my bone age is delayed compared to my biological age," said Hutson, a defenseman for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. "So, there's still room to grow for myself. For teams concerned about it, I'm still not done growing."
Hutson said his older brother, Quinn, grew a few inches between his 19th and 20th birthdays to reach 5-11, the same height as their father. Lane said there's a chance he'll reach 5-11 as well.
"When teams are talking to me here, they've told me they don't want me to be worried about it," Hutson said. "And I'm not. It's just something I thought I'd share with them. And they're like, 'Oh, that's good, we're glad you came prepared.' I think every question in the room is usually about my size, it's the obvious thing. But I'm not too worried either way."
Hutson is No. 25 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters after he had 63 points (10 goals, 53 assists) in 60 games.
● Video: Best of Lane Hutson
The new episode of Terriers Unleashed looks at the introduction of Jay Pandolfo as BU’s 13th head coach along with some of his thoughts about next season and comments from senior captain Dom Fensore and assistant captain Case McCarthy.
"I’m really excited. We’re going to have an older team," Pandolfo explains. "Typically, BU is one of the youngest teams in the country. We’re going to have at least 10 seniors back. You don’t see that too often with the Boston University Hockey team. That’s going to help us. A little older a little more mature and they understand what it takes to win.
"We have some really good young players coming in that are going to help us," he continues. "I think all five of the freshmen coming in are going to make an impact right away. There’s a number of guys who could’ve signed NHL contracts and they decided to come back. They liked the experience they had last year, so with the new guys coming in, they want them to have that experience, too."
►Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the Terriers will play a two-game, non-conference series against North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks will visit Agganis Arena during the 2023-24 season and the following season, BU will head to the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The teams last faced each other in the 2017 NCAA regional in Fargo, with BU claiming a 4-3 overtime win on a Charlie McAvoy goal (video).
● Grandforksherald.com report
Women’s Team
● NHL.com report
2022 Terrier recruit Brooke Disher is captain of Team Canada at the IIHF World U18 Championships now under way in Wisconsin. A defenseman from British Columbia, Disher scored 33 points in 33 games last season for RHA Kelowna.
● IIHF.com report
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