Daemon Hunt
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey defenceman (born 2002)}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Daemon Hunt
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|5|15}}
| birth_place = Moosomin, Saskatchewan
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb = 201
| position = Defence
| shoots = Left
| league = NHL
| team = Columbus Blue Jackets
| prospect_league = AHL
| prospect_team = Cleveland Monsters
| former_teams = Minnesota Wild
| ntl_team =
| draft = 65th overall
| draft_year = 2020
| draft_team = Minnesota Wild
| career_start = 2021
| career_end =
}}
Daemon Hunt (born May 15, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
As a youth in 2011–12, Hunt played six games and scored two points for the Saskatchewan Junior Pats in the Brick Invitational tournament.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/201837/daemon-hunt|website=Elite Prospects|title=Daemon Hunt Stats}} He was a member of the under-15 team of the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2015–16 and 2016–17 before joining their under-18 squad for the 2017–18 season. He scored 60 points in the 2016–17 season and was selected in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2017 WHL bantam draft by the Moose Jaw Warriors.{{Cite news|url=https://world-spectator.com/news_story.php?id=468|newspaper=The World-Spectator|title=Daemon Hunt first round draft pick in WHL|date=May 13, 2017|author=Kinna, Kara}} He had 36 assists and four goals in 40 games with the Wheat Kings in 2017–18 and also played nine games that season with Moose Jaw, scoring a goal and having an assist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.brandonsun.com/sports/wheat-kings/2019/03/10/whl-notebook-hunt-growing-as-a-player-and-a-person|newspaper=The Brandon Sun|title=Hunt growing as a player and a person |author=Bergson, Perry|date=March 10, 2019}} In the 2018–19 season with the Warriors, Hunt appeared in 57 games and scored 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists. He became an alternate captain for the team in 2019–20 and scored 15 points in 28 games.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/minnesota-wild-recalls-hunt-102323|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman Daemon Hunt from Iowa |date=October 23, 2023}}
Hunt was selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft with the 65th overall pick by the Minnesota Wild.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/hunt-draft-100720-319355014|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Wild selects Hunt with 65th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft |date=October 7, 2020|author=Myers, Dan}} Before the 2020–21 season, he played briefly on loan for the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and then had a three-game stay with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL), after which he returned to the Warriors and served as their team captain, scoring 18 points in 23 games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.brandonsun.com/sports/hockey/2021/05/07/daemon-hunt-signs-pro-deal|newspaper=The Brandon Sun|title=Daemon Hunt signs pro deal |date=May 7, 2021}} He played three further games for the Iowa Wild after the WHL season finished.{{Cite news|url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/warriors-captain-hunt-signed-entry-level-deal-with-minnesota-wild-3756093|newspaper=Moose Jaw Today|title=Warriors captain Hunt signs entry-level deal with Minnesota Wild|author=Palmer, Randy|date=May 6, 2021}}
On May 6, 2021, Hunt signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. He remained with Moose Jaw as team captain in the 2021–22 season, playing 46 games and scoring 39 points.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?cat=1&dpid=119491&sort=midtermRank&year=2020|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Hunt, Daemon}}{{Cite web|url=https://chl.ca/whl-warriors/hunt-named-to-canadas-world-junior-team/|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|title=Hunt named to Canada’s World Junior team|date=August 2, 2022}} He finished his WHL career with 163 games played and 94 points scored (33 goals, 61 assists). He played with the AHL Iowa Wild in the 2022–23 season and appeared in 59 games while totaling 11 points (two goals, nine assists). He had two game-winning goals, placing first among the league's rookie defencemen.
Hunt was injured in a Minnesota Wild preseason game in 2023–24 and was then sent back to Iowa.{{Cite news|url=https://www.startribune.com/wild-defenseman-daemon-hunt-makes-nhl-debut-washington/600315389/?refresh=true|newspaper=Star Tribune|title=Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt makes his NHL debut in Washington|author=McLellan, Sarah|date=October 27, 2023}} After four games with Iowa, he was called up to Minnesota on October 23, 2023, and made his NHL debut in a 3–2 loss to the Washington Capitals. He played two games for Minnesota, posting one shot on goal, before being reassigned to Iowa on October 30.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/wilds-daemon-hunt-assigned-to-ahl/|publisher=CBS Sports|agency=RotoWire|title=Wild's Daemon Hunt: Assigned to AHL|date=October 30, 2023}}
During the 2024–25 season, Hunt was traded by the Wild alongside four draft picks to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for David Jiříček on November 30, 2024.{{citeweb| url = https://www.nhl.com/news/columbus-blue-jackets-trade-david-jiricek-to-minnesota-wild | title = Jiricek traded to Wild by Blue Jackets for Hunt, 4 draft picks | publisher = National Hockey League | date = November 30, 2024 | accessdate = November 30, 2024}}
International play
Hunt played for the Canada team at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.{{Cite web|url=https://chl.ca/whl-warriors/hunt-headed-to-world-under-17-challenge/|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|title=Hunt headed to World Under-17 Challenge|date=October 16, 2018}} He played at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, recording one assist in seven games while having a plus–minus rating of plus-five. Hunt was also selected to the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and played five games, helping Canada win the silver medal.{{Cite news|url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/it-means-everything-warriors-hunt-named-to-world-junior-team-selection-camp-4818995|newspaper=Moose Jaw Today|title="It means everything": Warriors Hunt named to World Junior team selection camp|date=December 1, 2021|author=Palmer, Randy}} He was in the World Junior selection camp in 2020 but did not make the final cut after contracting COVID-19.{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7210935/moose-jaw-warrior-daemon-hunt-team-canada/|publisher=Global News|title=Daemon Hunt hoping to crack Team Canada’s roster|date=July 23, 2020|author=Shire, Taylor}} He helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Personal life
Hunt was born on May 15, 2002, in Brandon, Manitoba.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/huntda01.html|website=Hockey Reference|title=Daemon Hunt Stats}} He grew up in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. His cousin is former NHL player Matt Calvert.
Career statistics
= Regular season and playoffs =
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 2017–18
| Brandon Wheat Kings U18 | MMHL | 40 | 4 | 36 | 40 | 32
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2017–18 | WHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19
| Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 57 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 10
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2019–20 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 28 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 17
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21
| MJHL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2020–21 | AHL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21
| Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 23 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 11
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021–22 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 46 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 41
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022–23
| Iowa Wild | AHL | 59 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 14
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2023–24 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 51 | 3 | 26 | 29 | 29
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24
| NHL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2024–25 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25
| Minnesota Wild | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" |NHL totals ! 13 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1 !! 0 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||
| 2018
| Canada Black | U17 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2019 | Canada | U18 | 4th | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019
| Canada | HG18 | {{silver2}} | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" |Junior totals ! 17 !! 0 !! 3 !! 3 !! 0 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Daemon}}
Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Category:Cleveland Monsters players
Category:Sportspeople from Brandon, Manitoba
Category:Minnesota Wild draft picks
Category:Minnesota Wild players
Category:Moose Jaw Warriors players