The Washington Capitals signed top prospect Cole Hutson to a three-year, entry-level contract on Sunday afternoon. The deal will pay the teenager $975k in the NHL.
Hutson, one of Washington’s second-round picks in the 2024 NHL Draft, wrapped up his sophomore season at Boston University on Saturday after the Terriers were knocked out of the Hockey East tournament in a quarterfinals matchup with the UConn Huskies.
Whenever Hutson makes his NHL debut this season, which could come as early as Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators, he will be the first Capitals prospect from the 2024 draft class to do so.
Hutson played two full NCAA seasons with the Terriers, recording 80 points (24g, 56a) in 74 career college hockey games. This season, he led BU in overall scoring (32), assists (22), shots on goal (148), game-winning goals (4), plus-minus (+13), and time on ice per game (24:53).
Given that Hutson turns 20 before December 31 — his birthday is on June 28 — he is not an entry-level slide candidate, meaning the first year of his three-year deal will be burned simply by signing the contract. The Capitals can freely play Hutson in as many games as they choose down the stretch, and it won’t make a difference in how quickly he reaches restricted free agent status.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick has made it clear that the organization values Hutson highly, recently discussing pairing him with trade deadline acquisition Timothy Liljegren. Hutson’s projected star future was also one of the primary reasons Patrick didn’t pursue a trade for defenseman Quinn Hughes any harder earlier this year.
“I really like Cole Hutson, and I want to see what he can do in a Washington Capitals sweater,” Patrick said. “So that wasn’t a piece that I was willing to move in that kind of trade.”
Hutson is already familiar with many of the Capitals’ players, staff, and facilities, having attended the last two development camps at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. He is also good friends with Ryan Leonard from their days as teammates with Team USA, mentioning in December that he texts with Leonard “pretty much every day,” and that he would be super excited and nervous to join Leonard with the Caps “if I’m lucky enough.”
Hutson already has a great example to follow in his older brothers Lane and Quinn, who both immediately entered the NHL after leaving BU in recent years. Lane won the 2025 Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year after posting 66 points (6g, 60a) in 82 games for the Montreal Canadiens last season while Quinn leads all AHL rookies in goals (26) and is tied with Ilya Protas for the most points (50) as a member of the Bakersfield Condors, an affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Sign Cole Hutson
2024 second-round pick and 2025 World Junior Championship gold medalist leads NCAA defensemen in points over last two seasons
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Cole Hutson to a three-year entry-level contract beginning this season, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. Hutson’s contract will carry an average annual value of $975,000.
The Capitals selected Hutson in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Hutson, 19, recorded 32 points (10g, 22a) in 35 games with Boston University (NCAA) this season. The 5’11”, 172-pound defenseman led the Terriers in assists, points, game-winning goals (4), overtime goals (2), shots (148) and plus-minus (+13). As a sophomore, Hutson ranked tied for fifth among NCAA defensemen in scoring at his season’s end and was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star for the second straight season.
During his freshman season at Boston University in 2024-25, Hutson registered 48 points (14g, 34a) in 39 games. Hutson’s 34 assists led the team, while his 48 points ranked second and his 14 goals ranked third. Hutson recorded a tournament-high eight points (2g, 6a) in four NCAA Tournament games, helping Boston University reach the National Championship game. Hutson, who led all first-year collegiate skaters in assists and points, won the Tim Taylor Award as the NCAA’s top rookie and was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year. In addition, Hutson was named to the NCAA (East) First All-American Team and the Hockey East First All-Star Team.
Hutson finished his collegiate career with 80 points (24g, 56a) in 74 games played. Hutson’s 80 points are the most among NCAA defensemen over the last two seasons.
The North Barrington, Illinois native represented the United States at the 2026 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. Hutson served as an alternate captain for the Americans at the 2026 tournament and recorded four points (1g, 3a) in three games. Hutson helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2025 World Junior Championship, where he finished as the tournament’s leader in points (3g-8a–11p in 7 GP) and plus-minus (+11). With 11 points in seven games, Hutson broke Team USA’s single-tournament scoring record for a defenseman and became the first defenseman in World Junior Championship history to lead the tournament in scoring.
Hutson spent the 2023-24 season with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team, recording 51 points (15g, 36a) in 51 games played. Hutson led the team’s defensemen in goals, assists, points, power-play goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots (104). Hutson also appeared in 19 games with the USNTDP Juniors, where he recorded 12 points (3g, 9a). During the 2022-23 season, Hutson set USA Hockey’s NTDP single-season record for points by a defenseman after recording 68 points (10g, 58a) in 61 games played. Hutson represented the United States at the 2024 and 2023 Under-18 World Championships, winning a gold medal in 2023 and a silver medal in 2024. At the 2024 tournament, Hutson led all defensemen in goals (4), assists (9) and points (13) and was named the tournament’s Best Defenseman. Hutson, USA Hockey’s NTDP all-time leader in career points by a defenseman, registered 119 points (25g, 94a) in 112 career games over two seasons.
