Carter Hutton

Carter John Hutton (born December 19, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.

He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and the Arizona Coyotes.

Hutton was born on December 19, 1985, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to parents John and Linda Hutton.

Growing up, his father worked as a construction foreman.

On March 26, 2010, Hutton was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers after his season in college at UMass Lowell was over.

He played in four games for the Flyers American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, and dressed in several for the Flyers as Brian Boucher's backup after being called up while Johan Backlund was out with an injury.

On June 1, 2010, Hutton was signed by the San Jose Sharks as an unrestricted free agent.

On August 1, 2011, the Rockford IceHogs signed Hutton to a one-year AHL contract.

During the season, on February 23, 2012, the Chicago Blackhawks signed Hutton to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the campaign.

On March 26, 2012, the Blackhawks called Hutton up to temporarily replace goaltender Ray Emery, who was out due to an illness.

On April 27, 2013, he made his first NHL start against the St. Louis Blues.

Carter dressed for the last two regular season games and first five games of the 2013 NHL playoffs.

The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup, and Hutton was given a championship ring.

He did not qualify to be engraved on the Stanley Cup and was left off the team picture.

On July 5, 2013, Hutton left the Blackhawks organization and signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Nashville Predators.

He eventually became the Predators' starting goalie for most of the 2013–14 NHL season and posted a 20–11–4 record after Pekka Rinne suffered a hip infection.

By December, Hutton compiled a 3-0-0 record with a 1.33 goals-against average and .960 save percentage to earn the NHL Third Star of the Week.

Following a five-game winning streak at the end of the regular season, Hutton became the sixth 20-game winner in franchise history.

On June 2, 2014, Hutton signed a two-year, $1.45 million contract to remain with the team.

He returned as the starter for the Sabres by November and helped them win four consecutive regular season games for the first time since December 2014.

Hutton finished his first season with the Sabres organization with an 18–25–5 record as they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

In his final year with the Predators, Hutton was the teams' 2016 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee as a "player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."

After three seasons with the Predators as the backup to Rinne, Hutton left as a free agent to sign a two-year contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2016.

Prior to the start of the season, Hutton earned praise from head coach Ken Hitchcock who called him "one of the best players during training camp."

He made his debut with the team on October 15, where he made 33 saves for a 3–2 win over the New York Rangers.

Prior to playing for the Blues during the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, Hutton designed his goaltending mask with various St. Louis markers such as the St. Louis Cardinals' redbird, a large Blue Note, and sketches of Cardinal legends.

In recognition of his mask, the family of Stan Musial sent him a signed baseball.

Later that month, Hutton earned his fifth career NHL shutout after making 23 saves in a 4–0 win against the San Jose Sharks on January 15.

A few games later, he earned his sixth shutout in a 3–0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins seventh against the Philadelphia Flyers, and eighth against the Detroit Red Wings to tie for sixth in the NHL.

As a result of his play, Hutton helped the Blues move into third place in the Central Division and qualify for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.

In his second season with the Blues in 2017–18, Hutton enjoyed a career year in establishing himself as one of the premier backups in the league.

He led the NHL in save percentage (.931) and goals-against average (2.09) in 32 games, earning starts from Blues starting goaltender Jake Allen.

Having concluded his two-year deal with the Blues, Hutton agreed to a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres on July 1, 2018.

Following the signing, Hutton was praised by Buffalo's goaltending coach for being "an ideal partner for Linus Ullmark."

He earned his first win with the Sabres on October 6, 2018, in a 3–1 win over the New York Rangers.

Following the win, Hutton was the Sabres' starting goaltender until October 13, against the Arizona Coyotes.

Hutton returned to the Sabres for the 2019–20 season where he shared the net with Ullmark once again.

Early in the season, Hutton earned his first shutout as a starter for the Sabres in a 4–0 win over the Dallas Stars on October 14.

A few days later, he set a franchise record for most saves during a regular-season game with 47 made during a shutout of the Los Angeles Kings.

As a result of these shutouts, Hutton led league goaltenders in save percentage, goals-against average, and even-strength save percentage.