Next up on the countdown is the second of three picks from the 2018 who made their way on to our list.
#16: Logan Hutsko
Position: Forward
Age: 19
Team: Boston College (NCAA)
Drafted in 2018, 3rd Round (89th Overall)
Florida traded next year’s third-round pick to the Nashville Predators to select Logan Hutsko, just about three years removed from suffering a broken neck, late in the third round of this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. Hutsko went undrafted in 2017 after playing just two games for the USNTDP due to a knee injury.
Finally healthy, the 19-year-old appeared in 37 games with the Boston College Eagles, producing a total of 31 points (12G/19A) and helped his club clinch a 2017-18 Hockey East regular season title. The 5’ 10”, 172-pound forward was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Year and earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors, impressive honors for the freshman.
Hutsko was one of the more noticeable skaters in Florida’s recent development camp and like fellow prospect Max Gildon, played two games at the World Junior Summer Showcase for USA Blue, scoring a goal in a 3-2 win over Canada White. While Hutsko didn’t make the final combined American roster, my guess is he was close and that he might have an outside chance of being considered for a roster spot for the World Junior Championship team if he gets off to good start at BC this season.
The sixteen spot might seem a little high for Hutsko, but sometimes one gets a feeling about a player. This is a kid who really went through it and found a way to not only continue his hockey career, but he is starting to excel. He if continues on the path he is currently on and bulks up a bit, he could find himself as a contender for a spot in the Panthers bottom-six sooner rather than later.
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