Recent draft enthusiasts and prospect watchers might remember the case of Lane Hutson, who came into his draft in 2022 with some momentum after a successful NTDP season, but still fell well into the second round due to concerns around his size, and then turned around and asserted himself as one of the most successful and decorated defensemen in college hockey and made everyone who held those concerns look a little bit silly.
There’s an opportunity for teams to learn from those mistakes, though, as Hutson’s brother Cole enters this draft class with a remarkably similar profile and track record as his older brother.