Lane Hutson surprised many in his rookie season for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, of course, his grand total of 66 points is quite surprising, even if we knew of his offensive talent.
On the other hand, his maturity, competitiveness and ease on the ice are also worth mentioning, as he already seems to be among the elite at these levels.
Speaking of his skating, we knew he was very agile, but few fans and experts saw him as a fast skater.
Well, I can tell you that he managed to silence his detractors about his top speed.
He finished 3rd in the NHL among defensemen for the highest top speed achieved in a game, according to this tweet from the JFresh page, which used NHL data.
The first category corresponds to the highest top speed achieved during the 2024-25 season (among defensemen).
The second represents the number of blasts per 60 minutes of at least 18 MPH in the entire season, while the third category represents the number of blasts per 60 minutes of at least 20 MPH.
Hutson is 3rd (behind Quinn Hughes and Jaccob Slavin) for top speed, with an impressive 23.8 MPH recorded. However, he is also 10th in the 2nd category, while he and Matheson are tied for 19th in the final category.
Hutson has proved once again that he really is a gem on defense, and it’s very encouraging to see that he’s one of the fastest, as well as being as agile as he is.
At the other end of the spectrum, among the slowest defensemen in these same categories, we can see David Savard’s name come up.
That’s to be expected, of course, as Savard has never been a speed merchant, and he won’t be retiring after these playoffs for nothing: he’s just not keeping pace.
As for the forwards, Josh Anderson stood out, as did… Emil Heineman in the 3rd category (!!!).
Anderson is ranked 18th for the highest top speed (23.6 MPH), 6th in the 2nd category (this time for bursts of at least 20 MPH) and 9th in the final category (22 MPH and over).
Alex Newhook sees his name listed 18th in the 2nd category and 22nd in the last. That’s not very surprising, given his speed and all his zone entries on the power play (the famous slingshot).
I was pleasantly surprised to see Heineman ranked 22nd and 7th respectively in the last two categories.
We knew that Heineman had a dangerous shot, as well as being a generous checker.
But to see that he often reached 22 MPH or more is even more encouraging, as he could definitely be useful to the CH in the years to come.
Personally, I love Heineman (at least, his style of play).
He’s got a lot going for him, and now he’s got another one we didn’t necessarily expect him to have, with his speed.
A big guy who can play both ways of the rink, who’s got a great shot, who’s physical and who’s fast too, it’s hard to ask for more, honestly.
In terms of speed, the CH is in a good position, and we know that’s the club’s strength. Martin St-Louis’ team will have to make the most of this advantage over the Capitals if they hope to come from behind.
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