At No. 10 on our Oilers top prospect list, we have winger and NCAA free agent signee, Quinn Hutson. He was signed to his first National Hockey League (NHL) deal this past spring.
Hutson is a right winger and the older brother of Montreal Canadiens defenceman, and Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year; Lane Hutson. The 23 year old is 5'11 and 170lbs, putting him on the smaller side of players in the league. The older Hutson was a standout player in college, playing for the Boston University Terriers of the NCAA after an impressive career with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
As a Terrier, Hutson won an NCAA championship while playing a total of 117 games, scoring 56 goals and 58 assists for 114 points. He finished off his NCAA career scoring 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points in 38 games in 2024-25, before signing a two-year entry-level contract (ELC) with the Oilers as a college free agent.
After inking a deal with the Oilers, he was given a two-game cup of coffee with the big club, showing he can at least keep up with the NHL pace of play. At the time, he mentioned the ability to develop as a big reason for signing here saying "It's a great spot, a great opportunity. I think there's a lot of opportunities to develop here."
He was recently named as the Oilers representative for the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) rookie showcase.
Future Outlook
This upcoming season, Hutson will be battling for a regular spot in the Oilers opening night lineup, with the team having ample space especially on the wings. I would say he has an outside chance of making the lineup at this stage though and will likely find himself with the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
Training camp is a mere few weeks away so he will have plenty of time to prove his worth and show he can stick in the NHL. However if he does not, he will likely be a call-up option this year and will still have an opportunity to make the team for next season.
Going forward, Hutson will likely be given an opportunity to develop in the Oilers system and try to make his way up the ranks. Especially with multiple high end players making big money like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, the team will be in need of cheap depth forwards to fill out their roster.
NHL potential
It is always hard to zero in the exact potential of NCAA free agent signings, with so many never even touching the NHL. Hutson already has a leg up and the team suiting him up for any games to end the year is a good sign that Hutson will at least be given an opportunity.
Hutson is a skilled winger and as I previously mentioned, that type of player will be in high demand as the Oilers need to supplement their roster in the coming years to keep the Stanley Cup contention window open.
I think with his skillset, he projects most likely as a third line scoring winger but with the ability to move up the lineup to play alongside one of the Oilers star centres, especially in a pinch. I do not anticipate him to be driving a line on his own but I think he should be able to provide some needed depth scoring at the NHL level.