Cole Hutson has already made some history in the infancy of his NHL career with the Washington Capitals.
With a primary assist on a Ryan Leonard goal in the third period, Hutson tallied his seventh point (2g, 5a) in his ninth career game. He is the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in Capitals franchise history within a player’s first 10 career games, per Capitals PR.
In fact, no defender who started their career with the Capitals and ranks within the top 15 in all-time scoring from defense even reached five points before eclipsing their 10th game with the club. That includes starring names like John Carlson, Scott Stevens, Mike Green, and Sergei Gonchar.
First 10 career games of top-scoring defensemen in Capitals franchise history
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Hutson* | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Dmitry Orlov | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Robert Picard | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Scott Stevens | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Sergei Gonchar | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Darren Veitch | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| John Carlson | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mike Green | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Green | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Note: Hutson has yet to play in his 10th career game.
Hutson finished the game against Buffalo with 18:58 of ice time, one assist, two shots on goal, and a minor penalty for hooking.
Among all rookie defensemen to have played in at least five games this season, Hutson ranks first in point-per-game rate (0.78). On that list, the 19-year-old even sits ahead of the incredibly impressive Matthew Schaefer (0.74), who has 58 points (22g, 36a) in 78 games for the New York Islanders this year.
Hutson will play in his 10th career NHL game against the New York Rangers on Sunday night, giving him a chance to add to his total.
