ARLINGTON, V.A. — Cole Hutson is still in shock. It hasn't really sunk in yet for the 19-year-old blueliner. Just a few days ago, he was still in school, playing for Boston University. Now, he's an NHL defenseman under contract, joining the Washington Capitals as they push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "Honestly, I'm just trying to stay in the moment... I can't really believe that I'm in this locker room right now," Hutson said. It wasn't an easy decision for Hutson, though. The NCAA's leading scorer among defensemen the last two seasons, he didn't want to leave the Terriers, especially after they came up short in the Hockey East quarterfinals. However, after going over his options, he felt he was more than ready for the next step. "I definitely thought about it for a long time. Probably didn't seem like that long, but it definitely was. It was a question for a long time, and I really didn't want to leave BU at all," Hutson said, adding, "I'm really sad I had to move on but I think now's the right time." Hutson got in to D.C. on Sunday night, and got to spend the team's off day on Monday reflecting on the whirlwind and getting ready to join the NHL ranks. He spent time with new teammate and longtime friend Ryan Leonard, who was teammates with Hutson on the U.S. World Junior team and went through the same process as Hutson when he signed with the Capitals out of Boston College just a season ago. "I'm at a head start with the advice from him... He's a great guy. We've known each other for a lot of years now, and I just can't wait to spend the next few years with him," Hutson said. After hanging out with Leonard, he spent around three hours on the phone with his older brother, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane, to talk about expectations and take in all the tips that he could. Lane's primary message to his younger brother? Keep his head up at all times. "Everyone tries to kill him out there and it'll almost likely could be the same for me," Hutson quipped. Taking the ice for his first NHL practice, the first thing that caught Hutson's eye was the size difference. His new Capitals teammates are much bigger than his peers at BU, and the rest of the league will be no different. That said, it wouldn't have been surprising to see Hutson ease into the swing of things in his first practice. But that's not how Hutson operates. In battle drills, the American-born defenseman was threading the needle and showcasing his stickhandling ability and attention to detail as he made some impressive plays that raised eyebrows around the rink. As for his role, he was thrown right into the action, the training wheels taken off, as he skated on a top-4 pairing with Matt Roy and quarterbacked the second power-play unit. "You can see he's got a lot of talent," Pierre-Luc Dubois, who's letting Hutson move in with him as he makes the NHL jump, said. "At this point here, it's never easy coming in and jumping into practice and games. But when you're smart, when you're talented like that, you get the hang of things pretty quick." For Hutson, he's taking as much in as he can, from admittedly talking Roy's ear off to getting acclimated around the rink. His NHL debut could come as soon as tomorrow, though coach Spencer Carbery hasn't guaranteed anything. Carbery also stressed the importance of Hutson going through the learning process, which could take time, especially as a rising blueliner. "I can tell you right now to curb your expectations... it's going to be a process, and he's going to have to get comfortable with the league, the speed, the size, the strength, the reads, all the stuff that's really, really challenging for a defenseman," Carbery said, adding, "It's going to be a lot, but we'll help him a lot. He's earned this opportunity." If Hutson does draw in on Wednesday, he said he'll likely still be in shock. Ultimately, though he's just looking forward to showing what he can do in these final 14 games to make a difference for D.C. "If I do play, just getting to that rink and waling around for the first time's going to be crazy," Hutson said. "I thought about (this) all day yesterday. It's still crazy to me."
