Cole Hutson could officially become a member of the Washington Capitals roster before the end of this weekend.
Hutson played in what is likely his final college hockey game for Boston University on Saturday afternoon, as the Terriers fell 5-3 to the UConn Huskies in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East tournament. Given BU’s rough 16-16-2 regular season, the Terriers needed to run the table in their conference tournament to extend their season, but they failed to do so.
The 19-year-old defender is now free to follow in his brother Lane Hutson’s footsteps and jump to the NHL after two years with BU in the NCAA.
Hutson was held off the scoresheet in the loss after notching two points (1g, 1a) in BU’s opening-round victory over Vermont. He was named to the 2025-26 All-Hockey East First Team on Friday, finishing his sophomore campaign with 32 points (10g, 22a) in 35 games.
Among all NCAA defensemen, Hutson is tied for fourth in overall scoring, and no other sophomore rearguard has recorded more points. His 24:53 average ice time per game also ranks him 10th in the nation.
The Capitals made a similar move last season, signing Ryan Leonard out of Boston College on the final day of March. College prospects often prefer to burn the first year of their entry-level contracts during the final stretch of NHL seasons, as it helps them reach restricted free-agent status sooner.
If Hutson does join the Capitals, he’ll arrive to a quite crowded blueline. The Caps already have four left-handed defenders on their roster, Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, and Declan Chisholm, so to get Hutson in the lineup, head coach Spencer Carbery may have to play Sandin on the right side of a pair.
Hutson would immediately become the youngest player on the Capitals’ roster, not turning 20 until June 28.
