Capitals’ Hutson earns rave reviews ahead of potential NHL debut

It takes a village to turn a teenage college hockey star into an NHL contributor. Luckily for the Capitals — and newly promoted defenseman Cole Hutson — the franchise has an array of veterans who are eager to lend a helping hand.

Hutson signed his first NHL contract on Sunday, skated through his first practice on Tuesday, and could make his NHL debut on Wednesday. It’s been a whirlwind week for the Boston University product.

“I’m just trying to stay in the moment. Still shocked,” Hutson said Tuesday. “Can’t really believe that I’m in this locker room right now. I’m just hoping to play and play well.”

Center Pierre-Luc Dubois is letting Hutson live with him. Defenseman Matt Roy will pair with the rookie on Washington’s blue line and talked him through his first practice. Winger Ryan Leonard, 21, was in Hutson’s shoes this time last year as a midseason promotion and even crashed at Dubois’ place.

They’re all taking the newest Capital under their wings.

Having an older brother who has notched 135 points through 150 games with the Montreal Canadiens doesn’t hurt either. Hutson’s older brother, Lane, took the NHL by storm after his debut in 2024.

“I was on the phone with Lane for three hours yesterday, talking about what to do and what not to do,” Hutson said. “And with Leonard going through it last year, I’m at a head start with the advice from them.”

All that knowledge didn’t give him a place to live, though. The Capitals gave Hutson a hotel to stay in for the final month of the regular season, giving him time to find an apartment and prepare to move the rest of his belongings south from Boston.

Dubois wouldn’t stand for that though. He texted Hutson on Monday night, just a day after the rookie signed his contract, offering him a place to live. The veteran center — with clearance from his wife, Maddie — made the same offer to Leonard last spring.

Bringing Hutson into his home was a “no-brainer.”

“My first time in Columbus, I was in a hotel for six weeks. That’s not fun. You want to be at home, in a home,” Dubois said. “It helps your play on the ice, too.”

As a forward, Dubois is limited in how much he can ease Hutson into his on-ice responsibilities. That honor will fall to Roy, who will partner with the newcomer as the Capitals’ second pair of defensemen.

“He picks things up quick and he’s got the confidence and the puck-moving ability,” Roy said.

Hutson developed a reputation throughout his collegiate and junior international career for his skills in the offensive zone. The Missouri native scored 80 points in 72 NCAA games and 15 points across 10 games during the last two World Junior Championships.

The 2024 second-rounder showed off his offensive prowess during Tuesday’s practice. During a two-on-two drill, he flashed a pass between the legs of his two opponents, setting up teammate Ivan Miroshnichenko for an easy goal.

“We all definitely noticed,” Roy said. “He was getting some love there. It’s really fun to see for us, brings some youth to the team.”

Leonard was the youngest player on the roster before Hutson signed his deal on Sunday. The 21-year-old was the first Capital to reach out to his new teammate and took the 19-year-old to lunch on Monday.

The pair are longtime friends. Leonard and Hutson were cross-town rivals while playing their college hockey at Boston College and Boston University, respectively, and won a gold medal for Team USA at the 2025 World Junior Championship.

Now, their lockers are side-by-side in the Capitals locker room.

“Knowing each other going into this definitely helps him and helps the transition that he has to make. And it’s also comfortable for me too,” Leonard said. “Knowing him already and putting another familiar face already on this tight-knit team helps a lot.”

Hutson said Leonard texted him “about 20 seconds” after Sunday’s signing. Leonard thinks he jumped the gun, sending the congratulations message before Hutson could put pen to paper. The prospect of a fresh face in the locker room and fresh legs on the ice was just too exciting.

“His IQ and his skill level speaks for itself and the way he sees the ice,” Leonard said. “Hopefully, he can help us out with some production and be steady back there defensively, but also know the time and place when he can kind of show his spark plug and just go out there and be himself.”

Washington could use the boost. Coach Spencer Carbery’s squad is still on the outside of the playoff picture with time running out on the season.

The Capitals woke up on Tuesday seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

“Guys are excited. There’s been a lot of hype and a lot of anticipation around Cole coming here with what he’s accomplished,” Carbery said. “These guys are smart; they read things and they watch things and they’ve seen all the different clips. … It definitely gave us a little bit of juice.”

The coach threw Hutson onto the second power play unit during his first practice.

“No sense in putting the restrictor plates on,” he said. However, Carbery wouldn’t confirm whether or not Hutson would make his NHL debut when the Capitals host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.