Montreal Canadiens blue liner Lane Hutson has been named the 2025 Calder Memorial Trophy recipient following a breakout rookie campaign.
Hutson earned 165 out of a possible 191 first place votes, beating out fellow finalists Dustin Wolf and Macklin Celebrini. The 21 year old led all rookies in assists (60), points (66) and ice time (22:44 per night). Huston became just the 4th defenceman in the NHL’s modern era (1943 onwards) to lead all rookies in scoring, joining the elite company of Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch, and Quinn Hughes.
His 60 assist mark tied Larry Murphy’s single season assist mark for a rookie defender set back in 1980-81. “To win rookie of the year award, I just feel really fortunate” Hutson said at a surprise party thrown by his parents to present him with the award. “I’m lucky to be part of the Montreal Canadiens and be a part of such a great support system with all my friends and family.”
“To be able to do what I love every day, it’s been a dream,” Hutson continued. “I wouldn’t be here without the great support I have or friends, family and teammates and coaches, so it’s definitely special.”
The award was accompanied by a special video tribute from the last Habs player to win the Calder, Montreal legend Ken Dryden.
Set to enter the final year of his entry-level contract, Hutson will be eligible for an extension as of July 1st. It will be interesting to monitor whether the Canadiens opt for a bridge deal, or if they look to lock up their budding superstar with long term extension.
2024-25 Calder Trophy Voting Results
Pts (1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th)
1. Lane Hutson, MTL 1832 (165-26-0-0-0)
2. Dustin Wolf, CGY 1169 (15-96-59-17-1)
3. Macklin Celebrini, SJS 1104 (11-61-106-12-1)
4. Matvei Michkov, PHI 645 (0-8-26-151-6)
5. Cutter Gauthier, ANA 92 (0-0-0-6-74)
6. Will Smith, SJS 62 (0-0-0-2-56)
7. Logan Stankoven, CAR 22 (0-0-0-2-16)
8. Zack Bolduc, STL 20 (0-0-0-1-17)
9. Jackson Blake, CAR 9 (0-0-0-0-9)
10. Marco Kasper, DET 7 (0-0-0-0-7)
11. Mackie Samoskevich, FLA 2 (0-0-0-0-2)
t-12. Drew Helleson, ANA 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
t-12. Denton Mateychuk, CBJ 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
(10-7-5-3-1 points allocation)
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.