The scoring leaderboard of the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship is dominated by Americans heading into the quarterfinals.

Forwards James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, Trevor Connelly, and Teddy Stiga sit among the top six scorers after four games of the preliminary round. Much of the success of those players has revolved around the elite play of defenceman Cole Hutson, who manages the American powerplay with what looks like ease but is a combination of exceptional skill, patience, calm and hockey IQ.

Hutson is leading all defencemen in scoring at the U18s with eight points (two goals, six assists) in four games - all wins by Hutson and the Americans, who concluded their preliminary round by beating Finland 9-4 on Tuesday. Hutson's eight points puts him in s tie for sixth place in scoring with teammates Connelly and Ziemer. Hutson is also tied for the tournament lead at plus-11.

“My offensive side is what’s kind of needed in my role. I’m a powerplay guy and I move the pucks to the guys that can score,” says Hutson. “The guys that I’ve been playing with make it pretty easy on me – Eiserman, Hagens, Ziemer, Stiga, (Max) Plante – they’ve all been really good all year and I think moving pucks to them and letting them do their thing helps us win.
“I think I’m a pretty good playmaker. I can create space for my teammates, I can make plays from little to nothing there and, with all that, I’m able to take care of my job in the defensive end too.”

Hutson is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound defenceman who is projected to be a second-round selection at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. If that happens, he’ll follow in the footsteps of older brother Lane , who was taken in the second round, 62^nd overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 draft. Cole, 18, is the second-youngest of the four Hutson brothers – Quinn is 22 and recently completed his second season alongside Lane, 20, at Boston University, with Lars, 15, playing for Team Illinois 15U AAA.

Comparing the brothers

There has been lots of talk around Lane and Cole as the two seem to be on a path to the National Hockey League. And there are similarities between the pair.

Lane played in two U18 Worlds – 2021 and 2022 – posting 13 points in 11 games in the two tournaments. Cole is playing in his second U18s right now, having helped the United States win gold in 2023 with a goal and 11 assists in 12 games, fantastic numbers that he’s on pace to eclipse at this year’s event.

Both played in the North Jersey Avalanche program of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League prior to joining USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. And the two brothers have similar styles on the ice, defenders that can undress the opposition – or, break some ankles as the kids say – when the puck is on their stick.

Nick Fohr has coached both Hutson boys, starting with Lane at the 2021 and 2022 U18s and now with Cole at U18 Worlds in Finland. He says they are similar but there are subtle differences to their games.

“Cole is a little bit bigger and put together than Lane. He’s maybe an inch or two – let’s call it an inch and a half – taller and he’s heavier,” says Fohr. “At 18, Lane did so much on his work ethic, he competed so high all the time. And that’s a great attribute but it could also be a hinderance as he could sometimes get out of position. Cole is better at staying in position and utilizing that skill. But offensively they are very similar. I would say if the boys had a little bit of each other, that would help them. If Cole had that work ethic, that compete that Lane has, that would help (Cole). And if Lane took some of Cole’s calmness, that would help (Lane).”

Just watch me

There was a play early in the first period of USA’s 7-1 win over Latvia on Sunday that shows some of the skill that has scouts excited about the prospect of selecting Hutson. Stiga grabs the puck after a faceoff win and then turns to the half wall, sending a pass back to Hutson at the point.

Hutson, a left-hander, walks the line to his right and then makes a hard cut to his left, leaving a Latvian skater in his wake as he darts to the net and snaps a shot past the goaltender. It happened in the span of seconds and shows what he can do to create space and opportunity. Think Quinn Hughes meets Adam Fox (the latter being Hutson’s favourite player) and you have an idea of what Hutson brings to the table.

Players can get overwhelmed at tournaments like the U18s, with hockey experts, agents, journalists and scouts scattered throughout the arenas, each group trying to get a little bit of the athletes’ time. But Cole seems to have things under control. His characteristics on the ice – being calm, cool, collected – are evident off the ice as well.

“I’m not really looking too far to next year or the (NHL) draft. It’s kind of cliché to say ‘block out the noise’ but that’s what I’ve been doing and I have been doing it pretty well,” he says. “Just focusing on the day that you’re in and, for this tournament, we came here to win gold and nothing less.
“In order for us to do it, we need to play the right way. Block out the noise, not take any shifts off, not take any team lightly because, like we’ve seen already, anything can happen in these games, every team is really good, every team works hard.”

The Americans head into the quarter-finals as the team to beat, the defending champions who are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back U18 gold since 2014 and 2015, tournaments also won by the United States. If they accomplish the ultimate goal, you can bet that Hutson will have been a major reason why.