Ben Hutton
Ben Hutton | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 20, 1993 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenceman |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | Playing for the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL |
Ben Hutton (born April 20, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Vegas Golden Knights in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 147th overall by the Vancouver Canucks during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Before advancing to college hockey, Hutton competed at the Junior A level with the Kemptville 73's and Nepean Raiders in the Central Canada Hockey League. He then progressed to play collegiate hockey with the Maine Black Bears in the Hockey East conference, where he earned a spot on the All-Hockey East First Team. On the international stage, Hutton represented Canada at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge, securing a silver medal, and later won gold at the 2016 IIHF World Championship. In 2023, he captured the Stanley Cup as a member of the Golden Knights.
College
Hutton competed in NCAA Division I hockey for the Maine Black Bears, part of the Hockey East conference. His sophomore season culminated in being named to the 2013–14 All-Hockey East First Team.
Vancouver Canucks (2015–2019)
Selected 147th overall by Vancouver in 2012, Hutton inked a two-year entry-level contract on March 16, 2015, and concluded that season with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. He surprisingly secured a spot on Vancouver’s opening roster for the 2015–16 NHL campaign, making his debut on October 7 by assisting in a 5–1 victory over the Calgary Flames. His first NHL goal came on January 17, 2016, against Jaroslav Halák of the New York Islanders. Hutton ended his rookie year with 25 points across 75 games and was honored with Vancouver’s Babe Pratt Trophy as their top defenceman.
On November 24, 2016, he agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $5.6 million. Hutton reached his 100th NHL appearance on December 3, 2016. However, during the 2017–18 season under coach Travis Green, his role decreased, which led to an unsuccessful trade attempt in the following offseason. In his final year with Vancouver (2018–19), he tallied 20 points over 69 games and ranked second among teammates in average ice time at 22:21 minutes per game.
Los Angeles Kings (2019–2020)
After becoming an unrestricted free agent when Vancouver chose not to re-sign him in summer 2019, Hutton signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million with the Los Angeles Kings on September 17, 2019. Over the course of the 2019–20 NHL season, he appeared in 65 games and accumulated 16 points.
Anaheim Ducks (2021)
As a free agent entering the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 NHL season, Hutton attended Anaheim Ducks’ training camp on a professional tryout basis. On January 15, 2021, he secured a one-year deal valued at $950,000 for that season. He participated in 34 games and contributed one goal along with five total points.
Toronto Maple Leafs (2021)
With Anaheim out of playoff contention, Hutton was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 12, 2021, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft to reinforce their defensive lineup. He played four regular-season games for Toronto but remained a healthy scratch during their postseason run. The Maple Leafs opted not to offer him a contract following that season.
Vegas Golden Knights (2021–present)
Following an unsuccessful tryout with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2021–22 season, Hutton secured a one-year contract valued at $750,000 with the Vegas Golden Knights on October 28, 2021, as the team faced multiple injury setbacks. He achieved his 100th career point on March 4, 2022, and the very next day, he inked a two-year contract extension worth $1.7 million.
In his sophomore season with Vegas, Hutton participated in 31 games, tallying three goals and eight points. He made his postseason debut in Game 5 of the first playoff round against the Winnipeg Jets, contributing to the Golden Knights' 4–1 victory that propelled them forward. Hutton also played in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers but did not feature in either the Western Conference Finals or Stanley Cup Finals. The Golden Knights ultimately captured the Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. On December 22, 2023, Hutton agreed to a two-year contract extension with Vegas valued at $1.95 million.
International play
Hutton represented Canada East at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge held in Langley, British Columbia, where he recorded one goal and two assists over four games as the team earned a silver medal. Additionally, he competed with the Canada national team at the 2016 IIHF World Championship alongside Vancouver Canucks teammate Christopher Tanev, securing gold after Canada defeated Finland 2–0 in the championship match.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Kemptville 73's | CJHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Kemptville 73's | CJHL | 60 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Kemptville 73's | CCHL | 61 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Kemptville 73's | CCHL | 35 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Nepean Raiders | CCHL | 22 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 2012–13 | University of Maine | HE | 34 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Maine | HE | 35 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Maine | HE | 39 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Utica Comets | AHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 75 | 1 | 24 | 25 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 71 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 61 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 69 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 1 |4 |5 |11 | — |— |— |— | ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 0 |0 |0 |0 | — |— |— |— | ||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 3 |10 |13 |32 | — |— |— |— | ||||||||||
| 2022–23 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 3 |5 |8 |6 | 0 |0 |0 |0 | ||||||||||
| 2023–24 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 2 |8 |10 |17 | 0 |0 |0 |0 | ||||||||||
| 2024–25 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 0 |2 |2 |0 | |||||||||||
| NHL totals | 520 | 24 | 100 | 124 | 191 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Outcome | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Canada East | WJAC | Template:Silver2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Canada | WC | Template:Gold1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-Hockey East First Team | 2014 | |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American | 2014 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2023 | |
| Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Babe Pratt Trophy | 2016 | |