Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson grew up in North Barrington. He’s been named rookie of the year for the 2024-25 season.
AP
As Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson established himself as an up-and-coming star during the 2024-25 NHL season, parents Rob and Julie Hutson of North Barrington cheered him on.
After leading all NHL rookies in scoring this season and helping the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup playoffs, the 21-year-old Hutson last week was named the league’s top rookie and awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy.
His family is ecstatic.
“We’re all so incredibly proud of Lane,” Julie Hutson said.
“It’s surreal,” her husband said. “I’m a kid from Canada. It’s a childhood dream.”
‘Really fortunate’
The NHL announced Hutson won the Calder Trophy on June 10, but his parents had known for weeks so they could work with the league to plan a surprise ceremony.
“We were sworn to secrecy,” Rob Hutson told the Daily Herald.
Hutson received the trophy May 28 during a party in his honor at the Wild Onion Brewery in Lake Barrington. The Hutsons told the friends and relatives they invited that the NHL was putting on bashes for the top finalists.
“No one knew about the win,” Rob Hutson said.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson holds the Calder Trophy for being the NHL’s top rookie alongside his brother Lars, far left; his parents, Julie and Rob; and his other brothers Cole and Quinn.
Courtesy of Rob Hutson
But when the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Phil Pritchard appeared with the trophy — a large, silver cup on a wood base that bears recipients’ names — the cat was out of the bag.
“I just feel really fortunate,” Lane Hutson told an interviewer for an NHL promotional video after receiving the prize. “I’m lucky to be part of the Montreal Canadiens and to be part of such a great support system with all my friends and family.”
A family tradition
Hockey is in the blood for Hutson and his brothers Quinn, 23, Cole, 18, and Lars, 16. Their dad grew up playing the sport in Edmonton, Alberta, and came to the U.S. to skate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Rob Hutson was signed by the Detroit Red Wings but never cracked the roster — although he did play in other professional leagues.
When it came to his kids’ possible athletic pursuits, there was only one option.
“It was all about the hockey and it’s only been about hockey,” said Rob Hutson, who now co-owns the Barrington Ice Arena.
The Hutson brothers, from left: Quinn, Lane, Cole and Lars, pose in their youth hockey uniforms in 2011.
Courtesy of Julie Hutson
Lane Hutson went to North Barrington Elementary School and then Station Middle School in Barrington for a year before switching to an online education. He attended Boston University for two years and played hockey for the Terriers before going pro.
Despite appearing in two games during the 2023-24 NHL campaign, Hutson was considered a rookie this season. With six goals and 60 assists in 82 games, he was just the fourth defenseman in the NHL’s modern era to lead rookies in scoring. His 66 points tied for fourth all-time among rookies in a single season.
Thanks in part to Hutson’s play, the Canadiens reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They were eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals, but Hutson stood out with five assists in the five-game series.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48) skates with the puck as Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) pursues during a December game. Hutson, of North Barrington, last week was named the NHL’s rookie of the year.
AP
Julie Hutson shared an apartment in Montreal with Lane for the entire season and attended the Canadiens’ home games. She traveled for a few away games, too, including a Jan. 3 match in Chicago that the Blackhawks won 4-2.
“Being able to spend that time with him, to support him as he adjusted to life in the NHL, has been such a gift,” said Julie Hutson, who works in digital advertising. “Watching one of your kids live out their dream is something I’ll never forget.”
Hutson’s brothers Quinn and Cole had memorable 2024-25 hockey seasons with Boston University. They played on the Terriers squad that finished second for the NCAA Division I national championship this spring, losing to Western Michigan in the Frozen Four title game.
Quinn subsequently was signed by the Stanley Cup-chasing Edmonton Oilers and made his NHL debut in April. He is ineligible for the playoffs because of NHL rules.
Not to be outdone, Cole was part of the Team USA squad that won gold at the World Junior Championship in January, and he was named to the All-Rookie Team of the Hockey East Association, the NCAA division in which the Terriers play. Last year, he was drafted by the Capitals — yes, the same team that knocked his brother’s Canadiens out of the playoffs — but rather than going pro right away he’ll return to Boston University in the fall.
The youngest Hutson brother, Lars, got into a couple games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the amateur USHL this season and plans to follow his brothers to Boston University.
“It has been a very good year for our family,” Rob Hutson said. “It’s good to see the hard work is paying off.”
Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson (48) carries the puck to challenge Carolina Hurricanes’ Seth Jarvis (24) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, March 28, 2025.
AP
Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson (48) and Washington Capitals’ Aliaksei Protas (21) battle for the puck during a Dec. 7 game.
AP
