Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of the OHL
- Name: Alex Hutchings
- Position: LW
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 5-10
- Weight: 179 lbs
- Birthdate: 1990-11-07
- Eligible for Draft: 2009
- Drafted: 2009
- Hometown: Burlington, Ontario
- Acquired: 4th round (93rd overall), 2009
- Playing In: Pro
Alex Hutchings
Prospect Grade: 6.0 D (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: HF Staff
History
2005-06: Hutchings scored 65 goals and 35 assists for 100 points in 70 games with the Burlington Minor Midgets. He was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the OHL priority draft by the Barrie Colts.
2006-07: Hutchings played in 30 games for Barrie as a rookie. He scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was +1 with 24 PIM.
2007-08: Hutchings was the leading scorer for Barrie in his first full season with the Colts. In 68 games, he scored 29 goals with 25 assists and was +7 with 48 PIM. Seven of his 29 goals were scored on the power play and he also had two short handed goals. After slipping into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record, the Colts stunned first-place Brampton in the first round of the playoffs before losing to East division champs Belleville. Hutchings had 5 assists and was +2 with 18 PIM in nine playoff games for the Colts. He played in the 2007-08 OHL All-Star Classic for the Eastern Conference team.
2008-09: Hutchings improved his offensive numbers in his second season with the Colts, netting 34 goals with 34 assists in 63 games. Hutchings scored 12 power play goals and twice short-handed and was +27 with 60 PIM for the Colts. In Barrie's five-game playoff series with Mississauga, he scored 3 goals with 4 assists and 6 PIM and was an even plus/minus. Hutchings had a goal and an assist for the East at the OHL All-Star Classic and played in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game.
2009-10: Hutchings and teammates Luke Pither (PHI) and Bryan Cameron (CAL) were the dominant scorers for a Barrie team that won the Central division title and lost just nine games in regulation during the season. Hutchings scored 47 goals with 34 assists and was +44 with 58 PIM. Hutchings had 8 power play goals and scored 11 times short-handed. In one mid-season stretch, he was named OHL Player of the Week after scoring 4 short-handed goals with 4 assists in three games. Hutchings missed four games in the playoffs due to a groin injury but had 2 goals with 8 assists and was +4 with 12 PIM as the Colts won 12 of 13 games to win the Eastern Conference titles before falling to eventual Memorial Cup champion Windsor in the OHL finals.
2010-11: Hutchings skated in one game for AHL Norfolk before being sent to the Florida Everblades and spent his first pro season in the ECHL rather than returning to junior hockey for an over-age season. Hutchings was +1 with no points or PMs in his only AHL regular season game and also appeared in one playoff game for the Admirals. Hutchings had the tribulations that often accompany a 20-year-old in pro hockey but showed a glimpse of his offensive potential - registering nine points in one ten-game mid-season stretch. In 51 games for the Everblades he scored 13 goals with 13 assists and was -9 with 41 PMs. Hutchings played in all four playoff games for Florida and was the team's second-leading scorer with 1 goal and 2 assists.
Talent Analysis
Hutchings does not have ideal height and size for an NHL player but is one of the faster players in junior hockey and has an uncanny ability to score in almost any situation. Hutchings has displayed a willingness to get his nose dirty and play an aggressive game since bursting onto the OHL scene with Barrie as a 16-year old. Hutchings defensive zone play, due both to his size and an always-attack mindset, is an area that is improving. However, that mindset makes him a threat to create scoring chances in any situation - as evidenced by his knack for scoring short-handed goals.
Future
Hutchings could provide the new Tampa Bay management with their first difficult decision with a strong showing in training camp. As a prospect in the Tampa Bay system, Hutchings has drawn comparisons to current Lightning star Martin St. Louis as a fast, highly-skilled smaller player who plays with the a fearless mindset and is constantly looking for ways to create offense. Hutchings is just nineteen so the Lightning may want to return him to juniors for contractual and financial reasons. But the prospect of having another scoring threat must be tempting for an organization looking to get things turned around. Long-term, though Hutchings does not yet have the complete game or playmaking ability of someone like St. Louis, his skill set suggests he could become that type of player.
Stats
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Profile Last Updated: November, 15th 2011
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