Cole Hutson is off to another strong start in this year’s World Junior Championship.
Hutson kicked the 2026 version of the tournament off with two assists in the United States’ group-opening 6-3 victory over Germany, Friday. The Capitals prospect is serving as an alternate captain on the team.
The 19-year-old defender grabbed his first point in this year’s tournament after ripping a wrist shot from the high slot that German netminder Lennart Neisse stopped. Will Zellers picked up the loose puck from the rebound and jammed it home to give the USA a 3-1 lead with 9:29 remaining in the second period.
Hutson helped give the Americans a 6-3 lead late in the second period. After Neisse made an unbelievable save on Cole Eiserman, Hutson restarted the offense with a rush up ice, finding Eiserman with another pass.
The Boston University connection wouldn’t be denied on the second chance, with Eiserman burying a wicked wrister past Neisse’s blocker and stick. The goal came with 1:53 remaining in the second frame and was the game’s final goal of the night.
Hutson finished the night with a game-high 24:20 of ice time, recording two assists and three shots on goal. He was a plus-5 in the 6-3 win, and no other USA defenseman, other than his partner Adam Kleber (+4), finished with above an even plus-minus. Three of them actually finished with a minus-one rating.
“I had chills walking out,” Hutson told NHL Network’s Jon Morosi postgame. “I’m not going to say shocked, but I kinda was that it was a sold-out building tonight. It’s super fun to play behind. Just staying positive, this game’s in the past, gotta keep moving forward, and keep playing the right way.”
According to BU Hockey Stats, with his two assists, Hutson has tied the Team USA record for career assists at the World Juniors, held by Ryan Suter (10). He is just one point away from tying Erik Johnson (14) for the all-time defense scoring lead. He has already passed other star names like Luke Hughes (11), Zeev Buium (11), Zach Werenski (11), his brother Lane Hutson (10), Adam Fox (9), Brian Leetch (8), and Charlie McAvoy (6) on that list.
Fellow Capitals prospect Maxim Schafer played 11:41 of ice time and recorded one shot on goal for Team Germany in a losing effort. He was briefly taken out of the game by a high hit from Kleber, but was able to finish the third period.
Hutson and Team USA will be right back in game action on Saturday against Leon Muggli and Team Switzerland at 6 pm. Schafer and the Germans will also play their second game on Saturday, a 2 pm faceoff against Team Slovakia.
