Recruiters are talking about the Lane Hutson phenomenon

“He’s hard to cover, he’s like a snake with a puck.” This analogy of a recruiter sums up the Lane Hutson phenomenon perfectly.

It’s enough to watch young defenseman Justin Baron challenge one-on-one at the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp in Brossard: Hutson can go in all directions and slide into all openings. Good luck catching it.

How could anyone wait at No. 62 in the draft to hear his name called with such a unique talent? Because there isn’t a 5-foot-8 defenseman in the National Hockey League right now.

Jared Spurgeon, Victor Meath and Matt Grzelcyk are among the shortest in the league and they stand at 5-foot-9. They are rare.

At the time of his selection, Hutson could clearly be confused with the kids who strut the draft floor every year. However, Hutson, despite looking like a kid, has plenty of talent to be a first-round pick.

Photo credit: Joel Lemay / QMI Agency

Several recruiters who surveyed the electrifying defender assured TVASports.ca over the past few days. But those same scouts are very optimistic about Hutson’s chance to beat the odds and one day play in the NHL.

“What I can tell you is that we had him on our roster and if we thought he was too young to evolve on the circuit it wouldn’t have been, a team’s recruiter has a lot of confidence …