NHL EDGE stats: Cole Hutson’s upside after debut with Capitals

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE  puck and player tracker stats. Today, we break down Cole Hutson’s upside after making his NHL debut with the Washington Capitals.

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Cole Hutson made his NHL debut for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, and his advanced stats suggest he could make a significant impact down the stretch of this regular season and next season.

The 19-year-old, who was selected in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft (43rd pick) and signed his entry-level contract March 15, scored an empty-net, power-play goal and led Capitals defensemen with three shots on goal in their 4-1 win against the Ottawa Senators. Hutson played 16:24, including 2:00 on the power play, and had five shot attempts in his debut.

Hutson, the younger brother of Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens) and Quinn Hutson (Edmonton Oilers), formed one of two sibling trios to play in the NHL this season (other: Quinn, Jack, Luke Hughes). Lane and Cole Hutson are the second defensemen sibling duo to each have a point in his NHL debut (other: Blake, Glen Wesley).

Washington, which is six points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, traded veteran defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, opening the door for Hutson to join the Capitals roster after his NCAA season ended. Hutson was a standout at Boston University with more than a point per game over his two seasons combined (80 points in 74 games).

Hutson became the first defenseman ever to lead the IIHF World Junior Championship in points (11 in seven games) during the 2025 tournament, helping the United States win the gold medal. Hutson (born on June 28, 2006) is Alex Ovechkin's first teammate to be born after the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer (922 career goals) made his debut (Oct. 5, 2005).

Here are three underlying storylines from Hutson’s debut that provide a glimpse of his offensive upside:

1. Possession metrics

Although it’s a small sample size, Hutson had an offensive zone time percentage of 51.0 at all strengths in his debut, which ranks in the 99th percentile among defensemen and much higher than the NHL average at the position (41.8). Hutson also ranked in the 99th percentile among defensemen in offensive zone time percentage at even strength (48.2), also much higher than the League average at his position (42.2).

Hutson led all Capitals skaters in 5-on-5 shot attempts differential (plus-10) in his debut against the Senators. The only Washington skaters with a higher unblocked shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 than Hutson (63.6) in his first game were forwards Dylan Strome (73.3) and Ovechkin (71.4).

2. Skating speed

Hutson had five speed bursts of 18-20 mph in his debut, including a max skating speed of 19.58 mph. The Capitals, who rank seventh in 20-plus mph speed bursts (1,693) this season, now add even more speed and youth to their roster with Hutson.

It’s worth noting Cole’s brother, Lane, ranks in the 98th percentile among defensemen in 20-plus mph speed bursts (123) and 93rd percentile at the position in max skating speed (22.97 mph) for the Canadiens this season.

3. Shot metrics

Hutson’s empty-net goal came on a long-range shot on goal, while his other two shots on goal came from the outside left and right net-front regions. The Capitals rank fourth in both long-range goals (20) and long-range shots on goal (433) this season and are also fifth in high-danger shots on goal (596).

In terms of shot speed, four of Hutson’s five shot attempts were over 60 mph, with his hardest shot being 72.98 mph. Hutson’s average shot speed (65.02 mph) was close to the NHL defenseman average (67.81). Washington's top defenseman Jakob Chychrun leads the position in goals (23) and is an advanced stats juggernaut, ranking in the 95th percentile at the position in hardest shot (99.06 mph) and in the 98th percentile or higher in goals and shots on goal metrics from each of the three major locations (high danger, midrange and long range).

Although Hutson will likely play behind Chychrun in most situations for the rest of this season, the young defenseman could become a first power-play fixture as early as next season and one of the top contenders for the Calder Trophy awarded to the NHL's top rookie.

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