Here's what to know about Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, one of hockey's hottest prospects

From an early age, his bullying instincts were top of the class. You don't often come across defensemen with Hutson's creativity – he's so nimble, often picking up the puck while standing up and creating a chance at close range, a la Calais Makar. Hutson is a unique role of a man – he turns easily and is very difficult to stop with quick feet. He's incredibly deceptive, using his fake head to lure you in before making a dramatic move.

We're talking about a guy who plays like a quarterback.

“He's the king of the weight shifting fake move,” said the scout. “College kids, doing well in the world, he makes them look like fools by showing he's cunning and deceptive. Even some of the smartest college players had trouble knowing where it was going. You don't see that often in a kid his age. In this respect, he is ahead of his peers.”

Few defenders handle the puck like Gutson. This is especially evident on the power play, where he does most of his damage. He uses his fake game to his advantage in extra space, but he's also an overall puck distributor. Hutson had the opportunity to add guys like Cutter Gauthier, Logan Cooley, Frank Nazar and Jimmy Snuggerud to the USA Hockey National Team development program. At BU, Hutson was the point guard for McLean Celebrini, who was en route to one of the best seasons by a 17-year-old in NCAA history.

Don't let the revisionist history fool you – scouts going into the draft were only concerned about size. Considering he was 5-foot-8, that was a big deal. But his defensive game has been a bit of a mess, and that was exacerbated early in his college career and again at the World Series last spring. There was a time when you hit one and it was over. It was made for him. But it was one of the most improved areas of his game last year. He has an active stick, takes up space and is much more willing to take on opponents along the boards.

Compared to this time 12 months ago, Hutson is much better at reading plays in the D-zone and distributing the puck safely. He should be fine against more skilled NHLers in 1-on-1 rush situations, but if you pair him with someone more defensive-minded — David Reinbacher, perhaps? – It will not be such a big problem.

“He's still a work in progress defensively, but the overall situation here is great, maybe better than other defensive prospects,” another scout said. “You want him to be stronger, put more fire behind his bullet. But it is very fickle and deceptive and the players have struggled to understand it.”

Montreal's long-term blue plan is very promising. Michael Matheson is the No. 1 veteran, while Kayden Goulet, Jordan Harris, Arber Hekage, Jayden Struble and Justin Barron are all notable youngsters in their 20s. Logan Mailloux has been one of the AHL's most impressive rookie defensemen, and Reinbacher — a fifth-round pick in 2023 — will be in North America full-time next year. That doesn't include Bogdan Konyushkov, who had a great season in the KHL, or even the long balls of Adam Engstrom and William Trudeau.

So there is competition to overcome. It will be interesting to see how the Habs manage his development next year, as there is an argument to be made that, like Reinbacher, he could benefit from a year in the AHL. Hutson is skilled but still flawed, and the Canadiens don't need him to lead the team to the promised land. At 19 years old, there's no reason to rush Hutson unless he's 100 percent committed to the task at hand.

But man. It's an exciting time for Habs fans. Few prospects have lifted fans off their seats like Hutson has over the past few years, and the Bell Center faithful have come to expect it.

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Stephen Ellis recently