Team USA defenseman and Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson's brother, Cole Hutson, took a puck to the back of the neck yesterday at the World Junior Championship, and he had to be stretchered off the ice. Thankfully, there was no harm, and he has now rejoined his team.
While Lane Hutson was in Florida with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, his brother, Cole Hutson, was in Minnesota, representing the USA at the World Junior Championship. Just like his brother, the younger Hutson is a talented blueliner who was selected in the second round by the Washington Capitals.
In a game against Switzerland, the 19-year-old took a shot to the back of the neck and immediately fell to the ice. The silence was deafening in an arena that had been loud just seconds earlier as everyone in attendance worried for the youngster.
As he lay on the ice, the stretcher was brought in, and he was immobilized on it before being wheeled off the ice and sent to the hospital for testing. Thankfully, he was cleared and was able to rejoin his teammates later that evening, which must have come as significant relief not only for the team but also for the Hutson family.
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Without the blueliner, the USA won the game 2-1 and now sits atop Group A with six points in two games. Sweden could catch up to them today, however, as they’ve only played one game so far and are taking on Switzerland at 2:00 PM ET on Sunday afternoon.
In two games, Canadiens’ prospect LJ Mooney has been held off the scoresheet and has taken four shots on net. He has a plus-one rating in the first game and a minus-one rating in the 2-1 win over Switzerland, when he played over 16 minutes.
The USA have won the last two editions of the World Junior Championship and is hoping for a three-peat on home soil, but that’s easier said than done, and the way Switzerland hung in there yesterday can’t be reassuring to the team and its training staff.
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