Though they missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there were still a lot of bright spots for the Washington Capitals at the end of last season, mainly newcomer Cole Hutson.
Hutson, who signed his entry-level contract and made the jump from college back in March, appeared in 14 games for Washington, picking up three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He also earned more ice time as time went on, averaging 17:27 minutes per game and getting time quarterbacking the power play.
"I've learned a lot... it was an unbelievable experience for me," Hutson said, adding, "I learned so much so fast about the game and how hard it really is to play at this level consistently."
All the while, his quick hands, smooth skating ability and hockey IQ wowed not only fans, but his teammates night after night.
"The bench (gets excited when he makes a move). He's special," former Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk said of Hutson. "You can tell why there was so much buzz around him... some guys just have it, and he's one of them."
Looking back at the season, Hutson is now more aware of how the game works at the highest level and feels that getting a taste of it last season has better prepared him for the road ahead.
He's spending the summer training with his brothers, working to get stronger and fine-tuning different aspects of his game so that he can pick up where he left off.
"Hopefully, I'm ready to kind of stay in the league," Hutson said.
Washington believes he'll have no problem with that — and think he's set to take the league by storm, too.
Considering what Hutson showed in a small sample size, the Capitals expect him to continue to grow comfortable and step into a bigger role going into his true rookie campaign, especially with Rasmus Sandin on the shelf to start the season.
That means top-four minutes and more power-play time, something Sandin himself believes Hutson is more than capable of.
"Special player. Some of the things he has in his game, it's something you can't really teach. The way he looks off passes and plays with deception in his game, not a lot of young defensemen can come in the league and do that from Game 1," Sandin said. "He's going to be doing some special things for this organization for a long time."
Obviously, Hutson's bread and butter is what he contributes offensively, so Washington is looking forward to seeing him produce from the backend. He can get the puck up ice, make a good first pass and generate plays offensively.
Matt Roy complemented him well last season, but now, he also has an opportunity to play with new signing and stay-at-home defenseman Vincent Desharnais, further opening him up to focus on the offensive aspect of his game at 5-on-5.
"To have Matt Roy at the forefront, but also Desharnais to be able to really give us a reliable, strong, physical, good-defending defender is a really good fit," Spencer Carbery said. "That's something that we need, a right-shot guy that's a little bit more defensively-minded, so that it can open up Jakob Chychrun and Hutty to do their thing."
New assistant coach Ray Bennett is also going to implement changes on the power play, and Hutson is expected to be a big part of that, as well.
On the other side of the puck, Hutson wants to improve his game defensively and be able to keep up with the pace of the game. He's been on a mission to add size this offseason, but having a better handle on expectations is expected to help him even more in that area.
"Players are so good, you can't anticipate what they're doing, because they'll outsmart you just like you're thinking of outsmarting them," Hutson explained. "It happens so fast, just how quick the game goes by."
Ultimately, though, D.C. doesn't want to put too much pressure on the rising young defenseman, but there's a lot to be excited about, especially with the team moving on from the John Carlson era.
Even those outside the District, including fellow rising rookie Porter Martone, have him marked down to win the Calder.
That said, look for him to embrace not only playing a bigger role, but rising to stardom in the league, too, as time goes on.
