'It's Time I Finally Branch Off': Cole Hutson Breaks Free Of Brother's Shadow With Historic World Juniors

Caught up in the excitement of winning a gold medal in overtime, Cole Hutson was oblivious that he had just become the first defenseman to lead a world juniors tournament in scoring.

“Honestly, I didn't even know that,” he said. “We won a gold medal and that's all I really care about.”

However, he happened to know exactly when he had eclipsed his brother Lane Hutson's points total from last year’s tournament in Gothenburg. His older brother, a Calder Trophy contender this year for the Montreal Canadiens, compiled six points in seven games in 2024, but Cole Hutson blew past that this year with 11 points, the most in a single tournament by a defenseman since Alex Pietrangelo (12) in 2010.

“Yeah, I knew that,” the 18-year-old said with a sly grin.

Beyond being Lane’s younger brother, the Washington Capitals' second-round pick was a relative unknown to many before the start of this year’s world juniors. He entered the event with 14 points in 16 games as a Boston University freshman, which trailed Lane’s historic 1.23 points per game as a BU rookie. But with five assists in the USA’s tournament-opening 10-4 clobbering of Germany, Cole Hutson quickly emerged from his brother’s shadow.

“I hope I'm treated with a little bit of respect, and I think Lane’s obviously made a path for me my whole life, but I think it's time I finally branch off and do my own things,” he said.

It all came to a head last night when his team trailed 3-2 to Finland late in the second period and needed a goal to get a second life. With Lane Hutson and their parents in attendance, Cole Hutson stepped up to the plate in dramatic fashion.

After ringing the puck off the right post and in, Hutson appeared to mimic the same Superman celebration as Finland’s Emil Pieniniemi from minutes earlier. But Hutson swore he never saw the Finn’s celebration.

“I just wanted to do a cool celly,” he said. “I love celebrating if you can't tell, and you got to love it when you don't score that much, so I just try to do something cool every time.”

One thing should be clear: there is nothing minuscule about scoring three goals in seven world junior games as a defenseman, especially when that’s augmented with eight assists. Hutson was named alongside Sweden’s Axel Sandin-Pellikka to the tournament all-star team for his efforts.

Related: World Juniors: Team USA Earned Its Place In History

Overtime hero Teddy Stiga has played with Hutson for the past three seasons, most recently at Boston College. As someone who’s been around the offensive defenseman for a while, he’s not surprised by Hutson's achievements in this tournament.

“I've known he's had this in him – he's always shown it,” Stiga said. “I think this tournament put a bright spotlight on him, and he was able to just show what he can do.”

And contrary to what many critics have said about him, Hutson’s game is not entirely built on offense, either, a criticism often pinned against his brother. USA coach David Carle commended his star defenseman for his ability to adapt as the team’s opponents got tougher, particularly after a 4-3 overtime upset to Finland in the group stage.

Related: 'Cool Guy' Axel Sandin-Pellikka Leading Sweden From The Blueline — And Teasing His NHL Potential With Red Wings

“We asked him to kind of rein it in a little bit, even in the first couple games, him and (Zeev Buium),” Carle said. “It was just a little too much at times, and our balance on the ice wasn't what it needed to be, and those guys picked their spots better and at the end of the day, it didn't take anything away from them offensively, it actually enhanced it.”

Hutson was particularly astute in the USA's 4-1 win against Canada on New Year's Eve, where he not only chipped in a goal and assist, but stymied Canada's top scorers. He still had his occasional defensive lapses, but his game is more well-rounded than many might think.

“There's just so much that everything that he does is exceptional, so really proud of him.”

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Correction: Cole Hutson plays at Boston University, not Boston College.