NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks - Source: Imagn

"Shocker": Canadiens' Arber Xhekaj, Nick Suzuki and more react to Lane Hutson winning Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year

Modified Jun 13, 2025 08:43 GMT

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the 2024-25 Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

Hutson played all 82 games for the Habs this season. He scored six goals and had 60 assists, tying the NHL rookie defenseman assist record. He also led all rookies with 66 points and the most ice time.

After the announcement, several Canadiens players showed their support for the 21-year-old.

Captain Nick Suzuki reposted the announcement on his Instagram story and wrote “Shocker” in the caption along with a yawning emoji.

“DOGG😤,” defenseman Arber Xhekaj wrote, tagging Hutson in his story.

Cole Caufield had a one-word reaction to the post.

“Stud.”

via Instagram /@nsuzuki_37, @colecaufield, @arberxhekaj_

Forward Patrik Laine added:

“LFG,” followed by a chef and fire emoji.

Mike Matheson added a sweet congratulatory message for the 21-year-old.

“Congrats Laner!!!!”

Juraj Slafkovsky also reposted the Calder poster and added a magician’s hat and download emoji, tagging Lane Hutson.

via Instagram/@patriklaine, @mmatheson19, @_slafkovsky_

Hutson landed 165 first-place votes and 1,832 total points. Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames came second with 15 first-place votes and 1,169 points. He had a 29-16-8 record, 2.64 GAA, .910 save percentage and three shutouts in 53 games. Macklin Celebrini of the Sharks was third with 11 first-place votes. He had 25 goals and 63 points this season.

Lane Hutson on what makes the Habs special

During the Montreal Canadiens' exit interview, Lane Hutson was asked about his impact in his rookie season. Hutson mentioned that he didn’t have specific expectations coming in and only aimed to help the team however he could.

When asked what makes the team special, the 21-year-old replied:

“How grounded everyone is. No egos, no arrogance really. Just a bunch of guys who enjoy playing for each other and for the fans.”

He also spoke about his relationship with head coach Martin St. Louis.

“I’ve learned so much about being a pro, understanding the long game, and what we’re building here. He’s the hardest worker, and it’s easy to follow him,” he said.

When asked about fans wearing his jersey around town, Hutson said it is surreal and special to see that kind of support from Montreal.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

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