Washington Capitals prospect Cole Hutson has been discharged from an area hospital after taking a shot to the back of the head and being stretchered off the ice during Saturday’s World Juniors game between Team USA and Team Switzerland in Minnesota, per NHL broadcaster Jon Morosi.
As first reported by Morosi, Hutson was “conscious and alert” and communicating with captain Brodie Ziemer as he was taken off the ice. Before being immobilized, he was moving his extremities.
Hutson was skating in front of the net when a point shot from Gian Meier struck the blueliner in the back of the head. He went down and lay on the ice for several minutes as medics attended to him, bringing out the backboard and stretcher.
The 19-year-old was leading the Americans in ice time and, the night before, had two assists and a plus/minus rating of plus-5 in Team USA’s tournament-opening win over Team Germany.
Hutson, the Capitals’ second-round pick in 2024, is in the midst of his sophomore season with Boston University and is one of the Americans’ captains for this year’s WJC.