Player Discussion Lane Hutson Part 2

[jfm133]

You think adding 20 pounds on 5'09 frame is easy? His brother Quinn is two years older, two inches taller and is listed at 170 lbs. Last July Lane menurations were taken at development camp and he was 5'09 and 158 lbs. That was just six months ago. He will turn 20 in February, growth is probably over now. The reality is that he is likely to end up with the size of Jared Spurgeon. So smaller than Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Again. Spurgeon for now is the only D that is below 170 lbs in the NHL.

Average Height and Weight of Hockey Defenseman (NHL 2023)

I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the pros. It helped give

hortonbarbell.com

Hutson isn’t even in the NHL yet. He’s going to add muscle before he gets here. I don’t see how you can’t be at least a little excited about what he’s doing. He’s crushed every record there is.

Let’s say he’s a notch below Quinn… we’d all still be thrilled.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

You think adding 20 pounds on 5'09 frame is easy?

Over a couple of years? Yeah, it can easily be done. Gallon of milk a day and work out like a fiend.

His brother Quinn is two years older, two inches taller and is listed at 170 lbs. Last July Lane menurations were taken at development camp and he was 5'09 and 158 lbs. That was just six months ago. He will turn 20 in February, growth is probably over now. The reality is that he is likely to end up with the size of Jared Spurgeon. So smaller than Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Again. Spurgeon for now is the only D that is below 170 lbs in the NHL.

So let’s say he’s 170…

You can’t ignore the skill. You can’t ignore the numbers.

I’m not going to sit here and say he’ll be Cale Makar - but how the hell can you not be excited by what he’s doing?

Average Height and Weight of Hockey Defenseman (NHL 2023)

I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the pros. It helped give

hortonbarbell.com

And Luc Robitaille wasn’t a great skater. His vision and hands more than made up for it.

We got this guy at 60th overall. He’s the steal of the draft. If you want to temper expectations that’s cool but I don’t see how you can’t be happy with what we’ve got here. He’s not blue chip but the potential for a superstar is there. We’ll have to see how his game translates over.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Slafs and Hutsons situation are very different. Nobody denies Hutson and Slaf have tremendous upside. Hutson has produced everywhere but it remains to be seen if his package is good enough to do so at the NHL level, because of his size and skating limitations. Slaf has produced nowhere but his size and skill combination make him a worthwhile project to be of tremendous value in the future.

And they’re going to be the two best players from that draft. Right? Right?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Well, I see an undersized player that struggles skating backwards who is over the top offensively gifted. He owns the NCAA. But because of size and skating I am having doubts it will translate to the "show". No doubt he will be awesome on the PP, it's the 5 on 5 I have reservations about.

Reservations are fine. Good reason to temper expectations. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. He’s breaking records.

I don’t think there are many posters predicting he’ll be a superstar. But I don’t see how you can deny that the potential for him to become one isn’t there.

I mean the guy breaks every record in the book and we shouldn’t be excited about that?

 

[jfm133]

Robitaille was a winger. Not comparable. Much less reponsabilities on the ice and much less exposed to the physical game. Why do you think Caufield can play as a winger at 5'07? Also, if Hutson would be able to add 20 lbs, it would be more weight to carry for a player that has limited straight line speed.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Robitaille was a winger. Not comparable. Much less reponsabilities on the ice and much less exposed to the physical game. Why do you think Caufield can play as a winger at 5'07? Also, if Hutson would be able to add 20 lbs, it would be more weight to carry for a player that has limited straight line speed.

And Hutson’s an infinitely better skater (and much flashier) than Robitaille was. The point is that nost players have weaknesses they need to work around.

20 pounds is not a massive amount of weight to spread over your body and most of that muscle would be in his legs.

Nobody is saying he doesn’t have issues. That’s why we got him at 60th overall. Even if he were to bust out altogether it wouldn’t be a huge loss. He’s a fourth rounder and would be a huge bonus.

Be real though, you’ve already excluded the possibility of him being a top pairing blueliner?

 

[CHwest]

Reservations are fine. Good reason to temper expectations. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. He’s breaking records.

I don’t think there are many posters predicting he’ll be a superstar. But I don’t see how you can deny that the potential for him to become one isn’t there.

I mean the guy breaks every record in the book and we shouldn’t be excited about that?

Not denying anything, he has world class skill, I hope it works out for him.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Scouts are fans that know people.

That is not true at all, fans for the most part aren't even watching the same game and I generally avoid talking sports with them in person as it is painful to listen to. It is all too common in today's world for the layman to attempt to discredit professionals and is contributing to the erosion of Western democracy.

There are obviously some dumb scouts who do get in through nepotism but that is true of all vocations, especially those that do not require a post secondary degree.

 

[admiralcadillac]

You think adding 20 pounds on 5'09 frame is easy? His brother Quinn is two years older, two inches taller and is listed at 170 lbs. Last July Lane menurations were taken at development camp and he was 5'09 and 158 lbs. That was just six months ago. He will turn 20 in February, growth is probably over now. The reality is that he is likely to end up with the size of Jared Spurgeon. So smaller than Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Again. Spurgeon for now is the only D that is below 170 lbs in the NHL.

Average Height and Weight of Hockey Defenseman (NHL 2023)

I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the pros. It helped give

hortonbarbell.com

How many times does it have to be repeated that his growth plates are delayed - this was mentioned during his combine and prior to the draft. He even had a doctor write up a report for scouts.

He is likely to continue growing into his 21st or 22nd years. Just look it up.

 

[Jaynki]

In the Slaf thread we couldn’t be excited about him because he didn’t produce enough offensively in his league. Now, we can’t be excited about Hutson’s offensive talent because it’s ‘’just NCAA’’ and not the NHL yet.

Funniest part is when they are surprised when the U20 blue chip prospects flashes his potential.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Well, I see an undersized player that struggles skating backwards who is over the top offensively gifted. He owns the NCAA. But because of size and skating I am having doubts it will translate to the "show". No doubt he will be awesome on the PP, it's the 5 on 5 I have reservations about.

How anyone can even take issue with this statement is beyond me. This is just a factual, objective statement that isn't even saying that he can't be effective 5 vs 5 but that there are legitimate concerns that require more evidence of development.

When I was first mentioning the backskating issue shortly after we selected him I was attacked by an enormous, unrelenting horde who to a person said that I was f.o.s. They came at me with arguments like "It is not possible to be on the USNTDP if you can't backskate", "My twelve year old son can do back crossovers so obviously Lane can do them" and they would send video of him gliding backwards but not actually skating. All baseless claims entirely devoid of evidence but dripping with tribal bias as they had already positioned themselves into an Us vs Them defensive stance.

I think that you and I would agree that we both would love for Lane to be all the things that his overzealous supporters claim that he already is but we are not letting our hearts do the thinking for our brains.

He is currently a terrible defender but hopefully he can fix his skating enough to at least give himself a chance because he has the will and the mind to defend but lacks the physical tools to do so in the NHL at this point in time imo.

 

[Habnot]

Well, I see an undersized player that struggles skating backwards who is over the top offensively gifted. He owns the NCAA. But because of size and skating I am having doubts it will translate to the "show". No doubt he will be awesome on the PP, it's the 5 on 5 I have reservations about.

I see a slightly undersized player that has exceptional skills and hockey IQ. He will figure it out. He might not be an elegant skater but I never come away watching him play and say that he's a deficient skater.

As for physicality - pay attention to how he uses his body to create a springboard effect. He absorbs and actually generates speed coming out of the check.

I remember watch Hughes a couple of years back and saw exactly what you are describing. He was unreliable 5x5, physically unable to compete in his end. 3-4 years later he averages 25 minutes a game, playing all situations. Hutson has shown in his 2 years at BU and at WC's that he is on the same trajectory.

For me, he the most can't miss prospect of recent years.

 

[DAChampion]

How many times does it have to be repeated that his growth plates are delayed - this was mentioned during his combine and prior to the draft. He even had a doctor write up a report for scouts.

He is likely to continue growing into his 21st or 22nd years. Just look it up.

I think that very few of us are qualified to discuss relatively obscure medicine. @Andrei79 , maybe a few others.

But the claim was that putting 20 lbs of lean mass on is easy. In general it's not, unless he has a hormone driven growth spurt.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I think that very few of us are qualified to discuss relatively obscure medicine. @Andrei79 , maybe a few others.

But the claim was that putting 20 lbs of lean mass on is easy. In general it's not, unless he has a hormone driven growth spurt.

It's not about whether you're qualified, it's about what medical professionals said. I think the distinction is incredibly obvious...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I see a slightly undersized player that has exceptional skills and hockey IQ. He will figure it out. He might not be an elegant skater but I never come away watching him play and say that he's a deficient skater.

As for physicality - pay attention to how he uses his body to create a springboard effect. He absorbs and actually generates speed coming out of the check.

I remember watch Hughes a couple of years back and saw exactly what you are describing. He was unreliable 5x5, physically unable to compete in his end. 3-4 years later he averages 25 minutes a game, playing all situations. Hutson has shown in his 2 years at BU and at WC's that he is on the same trajectory.

For me, he the most can't miss prospect of recent years.

At least part of the North South skating speed can probably be attributed to his height. A taller guy is going to be faster all things being equal. There’s nothing wrong with The way he curls on the ice. I mean, there’s lots to like with this guy. We’ll see if the deficiencies are too hard to overcome but I agree he’s a really smart player and will probably figure things out.

 

[jfm133]

Hey, 20 pounds for Hutson would be adding 12.5% to his actual bady weight. That's a lot.

And Hutson’s an infinitely better skater (and much flashier) than Robitaille was. The point is that nost players have weaknesses they need to work around.

20 pounds is not a massive amount of weight to spread over your body and most of that muscle would be in his legs.

Nobody is saying he doesn’t have issues. That’s why we got him at 60th overall. Even if he were to bust out altogether it wouldn’t be a huge loss. He’s a fourth rounder and would be a huge bonus.

Be real though, you’ve already excluded the possibility of him being a top pairing blueliner?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Hey, 20 pounds for Hutson would be adding 12.5% to his actual bady weight. That's a lot.

Over a couple of years? At his age? He’s a professional athlete. It’s very doable.

What might get in his way is if he’s still growing. If that’s the case muscle will be harder to put on. But he’d also gain weight just by virtue of getting taller.

Nobody is going to disagree that he needs more muscle but that’s why I wouldn’t put him in the NHL next year.

 

[jfm133]

OK. I doubt he can grow until 21 or 22, but even if it's the case, it shows even more that bringing him in Laval or Montreal next April would be a bad decision. If this kid has a delayed physical maturity, let him mature in a league he can handle physically.

How many times does it have to be repeated that his growth plates are delayed - this was mentioned during his combine and prior to the draft. He even had a doctor write up a report for scouts.

He is likely to continue growing into his 21st or 22nd years. Just look it up.

 

[jfm133]

Again, even if he would be able to add 20 pounds, which I highly doubt, he would need to carry this extra weight. Some athletes are just genetically unable to add weight. A good example I remember is Aleksi Heponiemi. I remember many were very high on this player out of junior. Before the draft he was listed at 5'10 and 143 lbs. Today at almost 25 years old, he is listed at 5'10 and 155 lbs. Pre draft Hutson was listed at 5'08 and 148 lbs. He grew one inch and almost two years later he is at 160 lbs. It's better than Heponiemi, but how much more can he add? Again, look at his brother Quinn, two years older two inches taller and 170 lbs. If Lane stays at 5'09, he is unlikely to reach 170 lbs. For now he would be in a category of his own with Jared Spurgeon weightwise. The featherweight category.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

It's not about whether you're qualified, it's about what medical professionals said. I think the distinction is incredibly obvious...

It needs to be pointed out that there was no guarantee that he would grow at all or if he did just how much he could grow. The only thing that was actually posited is that growth was still possible. This was also just a single report from a single physician on an extremely inexact science. Typically you would collect multiple reports and look for consensus but these things are not free an Lane Hutson is not a heavily funded scientific study lol.

The fact is that he did not grow much last year and he is unlikely to grow much more and perhaps not at all. The odds are overwhelmingly in favor of him being at a significant size/strength disadvantage as a professional and debating over the possibility of insignificant gains is a waste of everyone's time and energy.

Speaking of gaining size.....time to inhale some of those holiday calories!!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Again, even if he would be able to add 20 pounds, which I highly doubt, he would need to carry this extra weight. Some athletes are just genetically unable to add weight. A good example I remember is Alksi Heponiemi. I remember many were very high on this player out of junior. Before the draft he was listed at 5'10 and 143 lbs. Todau at almost 25 years old, he is listed at 5'10 and 155 lbs. Pre draft Hutson was listed at 5'08 and 148 lbs. He grew one inch and almost two years later he is at 160 lbs. It's better than Heponiemi, but how much more can he add? Again, look at his brother Quinn, two years older two inches older and 170 lbs. If Lane stays at 5'09, he is unlikely to reach 170 lbs. For now he would be in a category of his own with Jared Spurgeon weightwise. The featherweight category.

I don’t think it’s the impossible task you do. And 180 at 5’9 isn’t bulky. He’s got lots of room on that frame to add muscle.

And maybe it’s 175 and then he gains more after that. Again though, I don’t see him in the NHL until 2025 at the earliest.

 

[salbutera]

Not denying anything, he has world class skill, I hope it works out for him.

Yup - Wilde actually captures the argument..

https://x.com/bwildemtl/status/1738955674522915127?s=46&t=a3HPp5YfHU2XDo78oSJMFA

 

[admiralcadillac]

It needs to be pointed out that there was no guarantee that he would grow at all or if he did just how much he could grow. The only thing that was actually posited is that growth was still possible. This was also just a single report from a single physician on an extremely inexact science. Typically you would collect multiple reports and look for consensus but these things are not free an Lane Hutson is not a heavily funded scientific study lol.

The fact is that he did not grow much last year and he is unlikely to grow much more and perhaps not at all. The odds are overwhelmingly in favor of him being at a significant size/strength disadvantage as a professional and debating over the possibility of insignificant gains is a waste of everyone's time and energy.

Speaking of gaining size.....time to inhale some of those holiday calories!!

I'm surprised you were at the combine and knew firsthand that Hutson only contacted one physician. Your post makes the following assertions:

1. Single Report;
2. Single Physician;
3. Extremely Inexact Science;
4. He didn't collect multiple reports;
5. NHL teams didn't collect reports.

Are you able to back up the above at all in order to proceed to your conclusion that the he is unlikely to grow much more or at all, in addition to the fact that he didn't grow much last year? He did, in fact, grow.

 

[jfm133]

This board can go into endless argumentation. The older you get, the less likely it is you will grow, and the older you get, if you grow, it is at a much lower rate. I grew half an inch from 20 to 21, to 6'03.5. One inch from 19 to 20, two inches from 18 to 19 and four inches from 17 to 18. It's just my personnal example, but that's the way it goes.

I'm surprised you were at the combine and knew firsthand that Hutson only contacted one physician. Your post makes the following assertions:

1. Single Report;
2. Single Physician;
3. Extremely Inexact Science;
4. He didn't collect multiple reports;
5. NHL teams didn't collect reports.

Are you able to back up the above at all in order to proceed to your conclusion that the he is unlikely to grow much more or at all, in addition to the fact that he didn't grow much last year? He did, in fact, grow.

 

[Captain Mountain]

You think adding 20 pounds on 5'09 frame is easy? His brother Quinn is two years older, two inches taller and is listed at 170 lbs. Last July Lane menurations were taken at development camp and he was 5'09 and 158 lbs. That was just six months ago. He will turn 20 in February, growth is probably over now. The reality is that he is likely to end up with the size of Jared Spurgeon. So smaller than Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox. Again. Spurgeon for now is the only D that is below 170 lbs in the NHL.

Average Height and Weight of Hockey Defenseman (NHL 2023)

I've been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the pros. It helped give

hortonbarbell.com

FWIW, we need to be careful where we get info from, as there are a range of heights and weights provided for players and its not easy to find the source or . Looking at the BU website (which is probably a pretty decent source), Quinn Hughes is 5'11" and 176lbs. and Lane Hutson is 5'10" 162 lbs. So I'm not sure you have the information to draw those kind of conclusions.

And is there a particular reason why you're pushing this +20/ reach 180 lbs narrative? If Hutson is successful or not at the NHL is going to be based on how his unique play translates, not his weight. That's the case with Spurgeon, Hughes, Fox, etc. He needs to add more muscle for other reasons, but there's not a magic number that will mean he can or can't be effective.