Canadiens’ Hutson says he’s a ‘USA Hockey player’ after dad’s comments spark stir

By Canadian Press on September 15, 2025.

LAVAL-SUR-LE-LAC — Lane Hutson isn’t switching sides, no matter what his dad says.

The Montreal Canadiens defenceman made it clear Monday he’s committed to USA Hockey, brushing off the chatter his father stirred about a possible future with Canada.

“I’m proud to be American and love USA Hockey, they’ve done so much for me,” Hutson said at the Canadiens’ season-opening golf tournament. “I love playing in Canada and I’m very fortunate, but I’m a USA hockey player and that’s how it is.”

A viral clip spread around social media when Rob Hutson noted his sons hold dual citizenship after Lane was left off USA Hockey’s 44-player orientation camp roster.

“You never know happens in the future, like my boys are also Canadian,” Rob Hutson said on the Recrutes Habscast podcast. “There is an absolute luxury there.”

Rob Hutson then pointed to Hall of Famer Brett Hull, a dual Canadian-American citizen who represented the United States after Canada passed him over for the 1986 world championships.

“He voted with his feet — he went from Canada to the U.S.,” he said. “There’s all types of scenarios that are, I wouldn’t say in play, but are possibilities.”

Lane Hutson, last season’s Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year, suggested his dad got a little carried away.

“He gets emotional or whatever, and sometimes it gets the best of you and you say things you don’t necessarily mean, and maybe it gets taken out of context,” he said.

Hutson, a 21-year-old from Holland, Mich., has played internationally for the U.S. at the world championships and world junior hockey championship.

The five-foot-nine, 162-pound blueliner is entering the final year on his entry-level contract after putting up six goals and 60 assists in a stellar freshman campaign with the Canadiens last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press