Lane Hutson among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker award

Lane Hutson had another big season in Boston.

The player who could sign his NHL entry-level contract in the coming months collected 44 points (12 goals) in just 33 games.

The result? For the second year running, Hutson was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Trophy, awarded annually to the best player in the NCAA.

Jackson Blake, Kyle McClellan, Liam McLinskey, Sam Morton, Will Smith, Collin Graf, Cutter Gauthier and Jack Devine are also among the 10 finalists…

Hutson’s BC teammate Macklin Celibrini completes the list:

Lane Hutson may very well not win the trophy because there are some really excellent players among the finalists.

That’s not “bad” in a way, because it still shows that his development is going well.

Hutson was more productive offensively than last season, he improved defensively and he took a step forward in his game in general.

It’s hard to ask for more… and expectations will be high when he comes to Montreal.

Of the 10 finalists, Macklin Celibrini’s name makes the most sense to me.

The young Canadian sensation is the very first 17-year-old to be named among the finalists…

And he’s really had a dream season, with 30 goals and 25 assists in 33 games.

He’s seen as the top pick in the upcoming draft for obvious reasons, and it’s hard, very hard, to miss what he was able to do this season at university level at his age.

If he wins the honor… It’ll only add more meat to his resume, which is already pretty stacked thanks :

Extension

The last Habs player to win the Hobey Baker was Cole Caufield in 2021.

Lane Hutson and Sean Farrell were edged out by Adam Fantilli last year.