Before San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson were the NHL's Calder Trophy favorites, they were teammates at Boston University.

Before San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson were the NHL's Calder Trophy favorites, they were teammates at Boston University.

On Tuesday, the two will play against each other for the first time in their young NHL careers. Celebrini has been the favorite for the Rookie of the Year award for most of the season, but Hutson has made up ground with a terrific stretch of play.

In 51 games this season, Hutson has averaged 22:38 time on ice a game, three goals, and 36 assists. He's on the top power play unit for the Canadiens and is the NHL's rookie scoring leader. 

Celebrini is close behind with 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) but has played nine fewer games than Hutson. 

"It's going to be exciting," Celebrini said about playing against Hutson. "We grabbed some dinner last night. "He's a special player, and I think now people are starting to believe that. The plays he's made show the kind of player he's going to be."

Celebrini said the two don't look into the Calder Trophy race but rather their development to the NHL through BU.

"It's great seeing how well he's doing. There's a reason why he's producing at that level. I saw last year when I played with him," Celebrini said. "He definitely helped me out last year. He's a special player and I've been saying it for a while."

Hutson said that defending against Celebrini during practice at BU last season helped prepare him for the jump to the NHL. Celebrini echoed the same comments and said the hockey world is overlooking Hutson's defensive ability.

"It's tough practicing against him because even though we're teammates and I know what he does, you still can't stop it. You still can't do anything about it," Celebrini said. 

"Guarding against [Hutosn], it's pretty much the same as defending some of the top talent in this league, or just as difficult just trying to contain him. I think something that's overlooked is his defensive game. He works and has a great stick and is tough to play against."

Hutson wasn't made available to the media today.

The matchup between Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson for the Calder Trophy might be overlooked in Tuesday's 14-game NHL game card.

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