Three pairs of brothers are sharing the ice for the BU men’s hockey team this season: Gavin McCarthy (CAS’27) (from left) and Case McCarthy (Questrom’23, SHA’24), Lane Hutson (CAS’26) and Quinn Hutson (SHA’26), and Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27) and Aiden Celebrini (SHA’27). Photo by Chris McIntosh

Varsity Sports

Oh, Brother! Three Pairs of Siblings Power BU Men’s Hockey Success

Hutson, Celebrini, and McCarthy brothers have made this a season to remember for the nation’s top-ranked team

There is no shortage of brotherly love on the Boston University men’s hockey team this season. 

The Terriers, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, boast three sets of brothers on their powerhouse team: Case McCarthy (Questrom’23, SHA’24) and Gavin McCarthy (CAS’27), Lane Hutson (CAS’26) and Quinn Hutson (SHA’26), and Macklin Celebrini (CAS’27) and Aiden Celebrini (SHA’27). All of them have made key contributions to BU’s dominance in the first half of the season. The experience has been special for the siblings, but it’s also helped the Terriers form their team’s identity. 

“It just kind of brings that family-type feel where guys really care about each other, but also, like brothers, they hold each other accountable. They challenge each other,” says Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96), BU’s head coach. “It goes a long way in our room.”

BU recruited each player separately, and Pandolfo hadn’t explicitly intended to have so many brothers together on his team. But the circumstances have created an unexpected advantage. “We want our team to be led by our players,” he says, “and I think having brothers and having that feel goes a long way. I think it certainly helps us.”

Each pair of brothers brings a unique set of skills to the Terrier team.

Lane and Quinn Hutson

Sibling rivalry is natural, but growing up, the Hutsons made just about everything a competition—from ice hockey to basketball, from swimming to board games like Rummikub.

“It was every day,” Lane says. “Nonstop.” 

Those battles shaped them into the hockey players they are today. And now, they have joined forces at BU on one of the biggest stages in college hockey. Pandolfo plays defenseman Lane and forward Quinn together on the Terriers’ power play line, where the on-ice chemistry between the two is evident. 

Lane, a defenseman with supreme offensive upside, knows exactly where to feed the puck to Quinn, a forward with a wicked wrist shot. And nobody has a better feel for Lane’s dynamic playstyle than Quinn. They have combined for plenty of offense.

“Any time we’re on the ice together for a goal, it’s pretty cool,” Quinn says. “I don’t know many people in college hockey, besides the two other sets on our team, where it’s like that.” 

Lane, who was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft, has notched 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) through 19 games—making him a leading candidate to win the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s highest prize. In early January, he won gold with the US national team at the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Quinn has 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists). Although Quinn is two years older, the brothers are both sophomores. They ended up in the same class since Quinn spent an extra two years playing junior hockey. 

And the good-natured competitive battles between the two still are still alive and well. Pandolfo laughs remembering Quinn snapping one of Lane’s sticks at a practice last season. But that energy has only helped the Hutsons, and the team as a whole, thrive. 

“It’s just like you see brothers growing up in the backyard. So it’s a lot of fun to see,” Pandolfo says. “It’s great to see how competitive these guys are.”

Next year, the Terriers will get another jolt from the Hutson family when younger brother Cole suits up for the Terriers as a freshman. He is a top-ranked defenseman for the US National Team Development Program and a projected first round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. 

“Cole’s gonna be really good here,” Lane says. “I think he’ll be a little more ready than I was when I came in. So we’ll see how he can do.” 

Aiden and Macklin Celebrini

The Celebrini brothers have operated like thunder and lightning for the Terriers this season. 

Aiden, the thunder, is a hard-hitting defenseman who uses his punishing physicality to open up space for his teammates and himself. Macklin just might be the best playmaker in all of college hockey, using his lightning-quick speed and wiliness to turn ordinary plays into scoring opportunities. And much like the Hutsons, the brothers developed their hockey prowess and competitive edge by facing off against each other, and training together in the summers. 

“We’ve had some battles growing up, and honestly everything we do, we make a competition,” Aiden says. “Whether it’s hockey, whether it’s pickleball, whether it’s chess.” 

Aiden was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. He’s tallied five points through 19 games. “I love how defensive he is and how well he takes care of our D-zone,” Macklin says. “You need players like that if you want to win games.”

Macklin, the projected first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, is a contender for the Hobey Baker Award, with 32 points through 19 games. Oh, and he’s also the youngest player in all of college hockey. “His hockey IQ is off the charts,” Aiden says. “He’s a player that can make something out of nothing. He’s one of my favorite players to watch.” 

The brothers, who grew up in Vancouver, have been around professional sports their whole lives. Their father, Rick Celebrini, is basketball’s Golden State Warriors director of sports medicine and performance. Through him, Macklin and Aiden have gotten to meet NBA superstars like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. And since Rick Celebrini has worked with hockey players too, the brothers have had the chance to skate at the Canucks’ home ice, Rogers Arena, and to see their NHL heroes play up close as little kids.

“It was pretty special, just being in that environment and seeing at such a young age what the best players in the world are doing,” Macklin says. 

Both of the brothers are destined for pro hockey. But for now, they’re cherishing the opportunity to go through the college experience together.

“I just like playing with [Aiden] and just having someone I can always rely on,” Macklin says. “Oftentimes when you go into a new environment it’s difficult to get settled, but right away I felt like I had someone here that I could talk to. And since it’s both of our first experience, we just kind of got through it together.”

Gavin and Case McCarthy

The McCarthy brothers never imagined they’d be sharing the ice at BU, since Case is five years older than Gavin. But after suffering a scary upper-body injury in the Hockey East semifinals last spring, Case opted to return for a fifth season with the Terriers. The chance to play with Gavin played a key role in the decision.

Because of their age gap, unlike the Celebrinis and Hutsons, the two McCarthy defensemen had never played for the same team until suiting up together for the Terriers this season. 

“It’s amazing,” Gavin says. “I never thought I would really have this opportunity with him.” 

Of course, Case’s career with the Terriers affected Gavin’s decision to commit to BU. Case was recruited by the Terriers as a 15-year-old prospect, and Gavin tagged along to his brother’s campus tour as a wide-eyed 10-year-old. When it came time for Gavin to go through his own recruiting process, the early exposure to BU stuck with him. 

“It was a no-brainer,” Gavin says of his decision to follow in his brother’s footsteps. 

Case, BU’s captain, was a fourth round selection of the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has posted three points so far. Gavin, who has tallied one point, was picked in the second round of the 2022 draft by his hometown team, the Buffalo Sabres. 

Case’s influence at BU has extended beyond the ice. Gavin took the identical fall semester course schedule Case took when he was a freshman, including calculus and microeconomics. And Case was instrumental in helping Gavin and the other freshmen—including Macklin and Aiden—sort out BU’s dining plan system. 

“It’s just been awesome seeing him at the rink every day, coming in and flipping his hat off, just messing with him,” Case says. “Being around him has been a really cool experience.”

The No. 1 ranked BU men’s hockey team battles No. 2 Boston College on Friday, January 26, at 7 pm at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill. Then, on Saturday, January 27, the teams face off at 7 pm at Agganis Arena. The two games are sold out, but fans can watch both matchups live on NESN or stream them on ESPN+.