Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was a surprise omission from Team USA’s 44-player orientation camp for the 2026 Winter Olympics, held August 26-27 in Plymouth, Michigan. The snub comes after a standout rookie year in which Hutson captured the Calder Trophy, tallying six goals and 66 points across 82 games.Speaking ahead of the Hush Hockey Challenge on Thursday, Hutson took the news in stride. "There are some really good American players, I wish them the best and enjoy the camp. For me, I'm just getting ready for the season," Hutson said via RDS.ca. "I would love to play there, you never know what can happen, the season is long. If the opportunity arises, I would of course like to participate," he added.Team USA has already named its first six players for Milano Cortina 2026. Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy. Although he didn’t get the camp invite, Hutson remains optimistic. He believes there’s still a chance if he has a strong season. Lane Hutson wants to be "back on the ice" with his teammates While Lane Hutson was suiting up for the Hush Hockey Challenge, his Montreal teammates Ivan Demidov and David Reinbacher were on the ice at CN Sports Complex, going through an hour-long session with development specialist Adam Nicholas. "I'd love to be back on the ice with them right now. It sounds fun. It's great to be back and to be able to skate with the others again," Hutson said."I've been on the ice more, I feel good there and there are a ton of things I need to work on," he added. Hutson pointed out that everyone, himself included, is pushing to reach another level. Earlier in the week, he skated with new addition Noah Dobson and was quick to notice his powerful shot and overall skill set: "He looked very good and he has a very good shot. He's a very interesting addition to our team, we're happy to have him." Hutson added that Dobson is a strong addition and proof that the Canadiens are moving in the right direction.