Recruiters talk about the Len Hutson phenomenon

“It’s hard to cover, it’s like a snake with a disk.” This recruiter analogy perfectly sums up the Len Hutson phenomenon.

It was enough to see the young defender challenge Justin Barron one-on-one at the Montreal Canadiens development camp in Broussard to understand the picture conjured: Hutson can go in all directions and slip into all the slots. Good luck catching it.

How could anyone wait in 62nd place on the draft to hear his name with such a unique talent? Simply because no defense man in the National Hockey League is now 5 feet 8 feet tall.

Jared Spurgeon, Victor Miti and Matt Grzelcic are some of the shortest appearances in the league standing at 5 feet 9 feet tall. They themselves are rare.

At the time of his selection, one might confuse Hutson with the children who strut each year on the draft floor. However, Hutson, despite his childlike appearance, had plenty of talent to be selected in the first round.

Image credit: Joël Lemay / QMI Agency

This was confirmed by several recruits surveyed about the electrified guns to TVASports.ca over the past few days. But those same scouts were also very optimistic about the possibility of seeing Hutson beat the odds and play in the NHL one day.

“What I can say is that we put him on our roster and it wasn’t if we thought he was too young to develop in the ring, as he assigned a recruit to a very competitive team from the East at TVASports. California. That means we thought he had the character to allow I think from your research, you will find that he has a good chance of playing in the NHL.

One Scout at the Western Conference noted that he “has an impressive foot speed that allows him to constantly find solutions with the disc”.

With his feet and mind, Hutson manages to get out of trouble as he does, for example, Quinn Hughes with the Vancouver Canucks. These are qualities that translate well to the NHL for a smaller defensive man.

“His hockey IQ is very high. He is solid on his feet, and for someone of his stature, he plays in traffic,” one of our spies recalls.

On top of all that, there’s also the fact that Hutson could gain a few inches by the time he becomes a professional. Rather, it is scientifically plausible.

“Brother brother [Quinn Hutson, il jouait dans la USHL l’an dernier] He grew up late, says the recruiter. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lynn followed suit and ended up becoming 5-foot-11 within a few years.”

Today, Quinn Hutson is 5 feet 11 inches tall at the age of 20. Lynne Hutson also pulled with him at the Hopes Assessment meeting in Buffalo a report from the endocrinologist. X-rays of the bones of one of his hands indicated that he was not fully developed.

“Same people with personality, it takes an inch and can take 20 pounds [tellement ils travaillent dans le gymnase]. They will gain muscle and maintain their speed,” says one of the recruits.

The Canadians went home by drafting Hutson. However, the risk appears to be more calculated in light of this information.

We must bear in mind that all teams are happy with their shot at the end of the selection session. It is well known. For the sake of the exercise’s credibility, let’s not get too excited and let a player on the field cross the yards and have an objective view on the matter speak.

“At the chosen rank, it could be a robbery.”