ST. LOUIS -- Former UMass Lowell Hockey goaltender Carter Hutton (Thunder Bay, Ontario) has signed a two-year deal with the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues, as announced by the club in the first day of free agency on Friday afternoon.
Hutton, who will backup Blues' starter Jake Allen, will earn 2.25 million dollars over the life of the contract.
He just finished up a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators. In limited work behind starter Pekka Rinne last season, the 30-year-old, recorded a 7-5-4 record in 17 games, posting a 2.33 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts.
During the 2013-14 season, Hutton posted a career-high 20 wins in Nashville.
Hutton has appeared in 76 NHL games in four seasons with Nashville and Chicago, posting a 33-24-12 record with a 2.56 goals against average, .910 save percentage to go along with 12 shutouts.
Hutton, a 2010 UMass Lowell graduate, was a four-year starter for the River Hawks and graduated as the programs all-time leader in goal against average (2.33), save percentage (.913) and shutouts (10). He combined with goaltending partner Nevin Hamilton to lead the River Hawks to the Hockey East Championship game in 2009. Many of Hutton's records have since been eclipsed Connor Hellebuyck.
Never drafted, Hutton spent time with Adirondack, Worcester and Rockford of the American Hockey League and Toledo of the ECHL from 2010-13 before making his NHL debut on April 27, 2013 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Hutton is one of four UMass Lowell goalies to tend net in the NHL following in the footsteps of All-Star Dwayne Roloson, who played 16 seasons, and Scott Fankhouser who played parts of two NHL seasons with Atlanta. Hellebuyck was the most recent addition to that list, making his debut with the Winnipeg Jets this past season.
