ST. PAUL, Minn. — Cole Hutson likely will return to the lineup after missing two games with an undisclosed injury for the United States when they play Finland in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena on Friday (6 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
The 19-year-old defenseman, selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round (No. 43) of the 2024 NHL Draft, was removed from the ice on a stretcher at 11:01 of the second period after being hit in the back of the head by a puck of an eventual 2-1 win against Switzerland on Dec. 27.
Several medics came to the aide of Hutson, the brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, before he was strapped to a backboard and stretchered off the ice.
Prior to his injury, Hutson had two assists, four shots on goal, a plus-5 rating and was averaging 18:42 of ice time in four-plus periods at the tournament.
The sophomore at Boston University has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) with a plus-8 rating in 18 games with the Terriers this season. He won the Tim Taylor Award as the NCAA’s top collegiate rookie after scoring 48 points (14 goals, 34 assists) with a plus-5 rating in 39 games in 2024-25.
Hutson has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in nine career games at the World Juniors and needs one point to tie Erik Johnson for most career points by a U.S. defenseman at the tournament. He also needs one assist to pass Ryan Suter (10) for the all-time lead among U.S. defensemen at the tournament.
Hutson had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in seven games at the 2025 WJC to become the first at his position to be the outright leader in scoring at the World Juniors (three defensemen had previously tied for the scoring lead).
The United States has won two straight gold medals at World Juniors and looks to become the first country to win three in a row since Canada’s run of five straight from 2005-09.