Getting to Know Riveters Rookie Cailey Hutchison
December 13, 2019 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Metropolitan Riveters News Release
Just nine games into her NWHL career Metropolitan Riveters rookie center Cailey Hutchison is already showing her dedication to her team and the league. I visited a Thursday night Riveters practice to speak with the Hicksville, New York native to discover that the 22-year-old had just completed an epic day that started at 5:00 in the morning.
After graduating from the University of Maine, Hutchison is now taking nursing classes at nearby Stony Brook. On Thursday she had not one, but two tests on the docket before a Riveters practice at 8:00 p.m. So, she arrived at school at 5 a.m. to study for three hours before taking her first exam. The second test was at 1:00 p.m. which meant Hutchison finally left campus at 3:30 in the afternoon to head home - which is an hour away.
After scooping up her hockey bag and teammate Dana Demartino she made her way to Little Falls, New Jersey for another test - the Rivs' last practice before a big weekend of games against the Boston Pride and Connecticut Whale. After crossing a plethora of bridges, during rush hour, the duo arrives at the rink around 6:45 p.m. After an hour-long session on the ice with her teammates (and a short interview with yours truly), Hutchison and Demartino arrive back home in Long Island around 10:45 p.m.
When she's not driving/touring around the Tri-State Area, Hutchison also co-runs a hockey organization where they coach spring/summer tournament teams. When time allows, she also gives private lessons. Clearly, there's no questioning her dedication. She's still hunting for her first goal of the season, but her work ethic has already made an impact centering the team's top line. Hutchison has four assists at even strength and ranks second on the team with 31 shots on goal.
NWHL: How are you adjusting to being a pro player, balancing hockey and your life outside of hockey?
Cailey Hutchison: It's been a little difficult but it's getting better now with my time management skills. We practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays now (it was Monday and Thursday during October) which works out better for me. The driving aspect is a big difference from balancing things while at college where everything was on campus.
NWHL: As a first-year player what does it mean to you that the staff has given you responsibilities like being an alternate captain, centering the top-line, and playing on the penalty kill?
CH: It's something that has been really special, and I'm honored to play alongside (Madison) Packer as a rookie in this league. Our linemate Kate Leary is also an amazing player. They've been great to me and have taught me a lot throughout the season. They push me to be the best player I can be, and I owe a lot to them. Everything has been just so amazing, I'm still just in awe and I don't know if it's all really hit me yet.
NWHL: Playing alongside Packer, where has that chemistry come from and how did it develop?
CH: I'd definitely say from practice, we've been together since our first team practices. She's a really great role model, she just goes out there and does it. It looks so effortless for her, but she cares so much and is always providing feedback. I definitely feed off of her energy, and that really helps me too. She's just always going.
NWHL: What are your impressions of head coach Ivo Mocek?
CH: I think he's doing an amazing job. It's tough enough coming into a new job, and he's doing it with a bunch of rookies. That's super-hard to do. My relationship with him is very open; if I have a question or any concerns, I go right to him. We have honest conversations and it's great to have that right off the bat with a coach.
NWHL: You've taken and won the most face-offs on the team, how do you feel you have been doing in that area?
CH: I feel like I've been doing pretty well. Being a center, one of the things I try to focus on every game is winning as many face-offs as possible, help the D on the breakout (of our zone), and make good decisions when I'm entering the neutral zone. I take a lot of pride in that. If I don't win the face-off that could lead to our opponent scoring a goal or letting them break out of their zone.
NWHL: At a practice, like tonight, you don't really work much on that, so how do you improve?
CH: Most of it is done off the ice. At Maine, they had us put weights on our sticks and we would take hundreds of face-offs every week. That helped with my speed, and endurance as well. Your opponent is whacking at your hands and stick so you need to be ready to battle. You have to be ready for everything. I think my strength along with my speed has prevented me from getting knocked off the puck often.
In college, I didn't always play center. I played everywhere, even some defense there. But before I went to Maine, I was a center. When I got there I played about two seasons on the wing and two as a center. That helped me become a good, all-situations player.
NWHL: You've played Boston a lot through the first portion of the Riveters schedule, how excited are you to play some other teams?
CH: I definitely am. I think it challenges us as players to always be on our game. Playing the Pride, we kind of know what to expect now having played them five times in nine games. We know what our game plan is against them, we just have to execute. We have no idea what the Buffalo Beauts are about because we haven't played them yet. I love that adrenaline rush of figuring out who you need to watch out for. I'm excited for the rest of this season.
NWHL: Any particular reason why you wear number 13? For some people, it's an unlucky number.
CH: When I was younger, I didn't really know much about hockey except for Wayne Gretzky so I wore 99. Later on, I switched to 87. The number 13 is the first number that was ever given to me and that was at the New York State Empire Games. I've stuck with it since then! It's been good to me. Good things happen with the number 13!
Hutchison and the Riveters will be in action this Saturday and Sunday against the Minnesota Whitecaps. Saturday's game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT and the puck drops for Sunday's matinee game at 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. ET. Both games can be watched streaming live and free on the NWHL on Twitch.
The Riveters return to their home rink at ProSkate on the weekend of Jan. 4 for a two-game series against the visiting Whitecaps. Tickets for those games are available now at riveters.nwhl.zone/tickets.
Premier Hockey Federation Stories from December 13, 2019
- Whitecaps Return Home in Weekend Matchup against Riveters - Minnesota Whitecaps
- Getting to Know Riveters Rookie Cailey Hutchison - Metropolitan Riveters
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