The NHL’s top young prospects come together this week at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.

Hosted by Rockford (Chicago Blackhawks), the annual two-day event starts Tuesday with the AHL All-Star Skills Competition. The AHL All-Star Challenge, a round-robin 3-on-3 tournament between the American Hockey League’s four divisions, is Wednesday. NHL Network (United States) and TSN (Canada) will broadcast both events.

As always, it is a high-level gathering of talent. Of the 48 players originally selected for the event last month, 12 are NHL first-round picks, and seven more are second-round selections.

Something else is different this year, too. With the NHL break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 starting last Friday, AHL teams have a chance to showcase some of their top talent. The NHL resumes play Feb. 25, which means that AHL teams should have a full complement of players through one of the busiest points of the regular season.

That confluence of events will provide an excellent chance for NHL front offices to measure their prospects against prime competition.

One of those players is Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers) rookie forward Quinn Hutson, who will be a part of the Pacific Division team at the AHL All-Star Classic.

Hutson, who turned 24 on Jan. 1, is making a strong case for rookie of the year honors. He has also helped Bakersfield climb the Pacific standings after a 7-6-4-0 start. Since then, Bakersfield has emerged as one of the AHL’s top teams and gone 18-8-3-0. That work has left the team just seven points removed from first place in the Pacific going into the All-Star break.

A significant chunk of that resurgence for Bakersfield came in October, when Hutson was named AHL rookie of the month after he had 13 points (nine goals, four assists) in eight games. In total, his 43 points (24 goals, 19 assists) in 41 games place him sixth in AHL scoring and first among rookies. Those 24 goals also lead all rookies while ranking third overall in the AHL.

Hutson’s progression has been exactly what the Oilers could have hoped for coming into the season. Undrafted, Hutson turned pro after signing two-year entry-level contract with the Oilers on April 13, 2025 following an exceptional three-season tenure at Boston University. Last season as a junior he had 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 38 games. He is also the older brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson and Washington Capitals prospect Cole Hutson, a sophomore defenseman at Boston University.

That skill set has moved with him to the pro game, where he is part of a strong contingent of prospects with Bakersfield that also includes forwards Isaac Howard and Josh Samanski. Coach Colin Chaulk has used the three together on a line at different points this season. Hutson brings a strong motor to any line, and he plays well above his size (5-foot-11, 176 pounds). He is willing to fight for space on the ice, which allows him to open room to use a strong skill set.

The Oilers got a good look at him against top competition when he made his NHL season debut Dec. 16 for the first of his four games with the team this season. He scored his first NHL goal Dec. 18 against the Boston Bruins. Moreover, one of the most critical questions for any high-end prospect is the ability to handle a return to the AHL. Hutson has answered that question; after rejoining Bakersfield on Jan. 5, he had four goals in his first four games. Though his goal production has since slowed, he had four assists in four games leading into this past weekend.