Ben Hutton

Lore & Background

Hutton played Junior A in the Central Canada Hockey League before attending the University of Maine, where he earned All-Hockey East First Team honours in his second year. He was selected 147th overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks and signed an entry-level contract with them in March 2015 after finishing his college career. Hutton made the Canucks' opening-night roster for the 2015–16 season and recorded his first NHL point in his debut against the Calgary Flames. He led all Canucks defencemen in scoring as a rookie with 25 points in 75 games and was awarded the Walter "Babe" Pratt Trophy as the team's most outstanding defenceman. After his rookie season, he won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

Hutton played four seasons with Vancouver, appearing in 276 total games, before signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings in September 2019. He later played for the Anaheim Ducks and was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2021 trade deadline. In October 2021, he signed a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. He recorded his 100th career NHL point in March 2022 and signed a two-year extension the next day. Hutton was a member of the Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup championship team, appearing in two series-clinching victories. He brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Prescott, Ontario. In December 2023, he signed a further two-year contract extension with Vegas.

Reader's Guide

Ben Hutton's NHL career spans over a decade, beginning with the Vancouver Canucks who drafted him in 2012. After a standout rookie season where he led Canucks defencemen in scoring and won the team's top defenceman award, he became a consistent top-four blue-liner for Vancouver. His subsequent stops with the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs established him as a reliable veteran presence. Hutton's most notable achievement came with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2023. He appeared in two series-clinching playoff victories and later brought the Cup to his hometown. His international career includes a gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championship. Hutton's career statistics reflect steady defensive play across multiple organizations, and he reached the 100-point milestone in 2022. As of the 2025–26 season, he recorded his highest goal total since 2018–19 with 6 goals and 15 points through 53 games. He is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Did You Know?

• Hutton won the Walter 'Babe' Pratt Trophy as the Vancouver Canucks' most outstanding defenceman in his rookie season.
• He brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Prescott, Ontario after winning it with Vegas in 2023.
• Hutton recorded his 100th career NHL point on March 4, 2022, in a victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

College Foundation & Junior Roots

Ben Hutton's path to the NHL was built on a steady foundation in Canadian junior and American college hockey. Before ever stepping onto a major professional ice, he competed in the Central Canada Hockey League at the Junior A level, sharpening his defensive instincts in a competitive regional circuit. His development continued at the University of Maine, where he suited up for the Black Bears in the NCAA Division I Hockey East conference. It was during his sophomore campaign that Hutton's impact became impossible to ignore: his standout two-way contributions earned him a spot on the 2013–14 All-Hockey East First Team, a recognition that signaled he was operating at the very top of his collegiate conference. Even before college, Hutton had represented Canada East at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge in Langley, British Columbia, where he contributed a goal and two assists across four games as his squad captured the silver medal behind a loss to Canada West in the final. These early chapters established the reliable, two-way identity that would define his professional career.

A Journeyman's Rise Through Six Franchises

Drafted 147th overall in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by Vancouver, Hutton signed a two-year entry-level deal in March 2015 and immediately made the opening-night roster. His rookie season saw him lead all Canucks defencemen in scoring with 25 points across 75 games, earning the Walter "Babe" Pratt Trophy as the club's top blue-liner. Over four seasons in Vancouver he logged 276 games in a top-four defensive role. His journey continued with a one-year, $1.5 million stint in Los Angeles (65 games, 16 points, over 18 minutes per game), a brief Anaheim spell (34 games), and a trade-deadline acquisition by Toronto in April 2021. Vegas became his longest stop: he recorded his 100th career point there in March 2022 and signed a two-year extension the very next day. By the 2025–26 campaign he was posting 6 goals and 15 points through 53 games, his best offensive output since 2018–19. In September 2026 he joined Ottawa on a professional tryout agreement.

Gold Medal & Cup Champion

Hutton's international and championship highlights stand as the crowning achievements of his career. In 2016, fresh off his rookie NHL season, he was named to Team Canada for the IIHF World Championship alongside Canucks teammate Christopher Tanev. Canada dispatched Finland 2–0 in the final to claim the gold medal, giving Hutton his first major international title. Five years later, as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, he experienced the ultimate team accomplishment in North American sport. In the 2022–23 postseason, Vegas defeated the Florida Panthers in five games to capture the Stanley Cup. Hutton featured in two of the series-clinching victories during the run, including wins over the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers in the later rounds. The celebration extended beyond the arena: after the championship, he personally brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown of Prescott, Ontario, sharing the moment with family and community. From a World Championship gold to a Cup parade in his hometown, Hutton's career is bookended by the highest honours a Canadian hockey player can earn.

Life Beyond the Rink

Away from the ice, Ben Hutton's personal story is one of steady family building and community ties. Born on April 20, 1993, to Jim and Janet Hutton, he grew up in Prescott, Ontario, with a younger sister named Maggie. In 2024 he married Emma Hutton, and the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Honey, in October 2025. At home, the family is kept company by two dogs, Scout and Franny. These personal details paint a picture of a player whose life off the ice is grounded in family and small-town roots rather than celebrity. His decision to bring the Stanley Cup to Prescott after the 2023 championship underscores how much that hometown connection still matters to him. Even as his professional path has taken him across six NHL franchises—from Vancouver to Ottawa—his identity remains anchored in the community that raised him, and the growing family he has built alongside his wife Emma.

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