Flyers Potential 2024 Draft Picks: Cole Hutson

The offensively gifted defender could be on the board late in the first round.

Continuing our series with players the Philadelphia Flyers might take in the 2024 NHL Draft, it’s important not to neglect some of the lower-graded players who could end up going in the first round. One of those is Cole Hutson of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP).

A defenseman and brother to one of the more promising young defenders in the NHL, Lane Hutson, the two are naturally going to be compared to one another. Teams let the older brother slip down to the late second-round in 2022 — that probably shouldn’t happen with Cole. Why shouldn’t it? Why should the Flyers consider taking him with their late first-round pick via the Florida Panthers?

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Hutson’s D-1 & DY Production

For a defenseman, Hutson’s offensive totals were pretty impressive for the USNTDP. One season prior to his draft year (D-1), he had the highest single-season point total (68) in program history to surpass Cam York’s 2018-19 campaign (65). Hutson had 42 points in 42 games with the USNTDP U17 team, improving upon that mark once he joined the U18 team with 26 points in 19 contests. His trajectory looked pretty elite very early.

Cole Hutson, USNTDP (Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP)