Daemon Hunt

Daemon Hunt
Born	(2002-05-15) May 15, 2002 (age 21) Brandon, Manitoba
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Defenceman
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team	Minnesota Wild Iowa Wild  (AHL)
NHL Draft	65th overall, 2020 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2021–present

Daemon Hunt (born May 15, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Minnesota Wild 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. ^[1] 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. ^[1] 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. ^[2] 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. ^{[1] [3]} In the 2018–19 season with the Warriors, Hunt appeared in 57 games and scored 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists. ^[1] He became an alternate captain for the team in 2019–20 and scored 15 points in 28 games. ^{[1] [4]}

Hunt was selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 65th overall pick by the Minnesota Wild. ^[5] Before the 2020–21 WHL 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. ^[6] He played three further games for the Iowa Wild after the WHL season finished. ^[7]

On May 6, 2021, Hunt signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild. ^[7] He remained with Moose Jaw as team captain in the 2021–22 season, playing 46 games and scoring 39 points. ^{[8] [9]} He finished his WHL career with 163 games played and 94 points scored (33 goals, 61 assists). ^[4] 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). ^[4] He had two game-winning goals, placing first among the league's rookie defencemen. ^[4]

Hunt was injured in a Minnesota Wild preseason game in 2023–24 and was then sent back to Iowa. ^[10] 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. ^{[4] [10]} He played two games for Minnesota, posting one shot on goal, before being reassigned to Iowa on October 30. ^[11]

International play

Hunt played for the Canada team at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. ^[12] He played at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, recording one assist in seven games while having a plus–minus rating of plus-five. ^[4] Hunt was also selected to the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and played five games, helping Canada win the silver medal. ^{[8] [13]} He was in the World Junior selection camp in 2020 but did not make the final cut after contracting COVID-19. ^{[14] [13]} He helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. ^[4]

Personal life

Hunt was born on May 15, 2002, in Brandon, Manitoba. ^[15] He grew up in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. ^[2] His cousin is former NHL player Matt Calvert. ^[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017–18	Brandon Wheat Kings U18	MMHL		40	4	36	40	32		9	0	1	1	2
2017–18	Moose Jaw Warriors	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
2019–20	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL		28	0	15	15	17		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Virden Oil Capitals	MJHL		3	3	2	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Iowa Wild	AHL		6	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Moose Jaw Warriors	WHL		23	8	10	18	11		—	—	—	—	—
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
AHL totals				65	3	9	12	14		2	0	1	1	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018	Canada Black	U17	5th		5	0	2	2	0
2019	Canada	U18	4th		7	0	1	1	0
2019	Canada	HG18			5	0	0	0	0
Junior totals					17	0	3	3	0

References

1. "Daemon Hunt Stats". Elite Prospects.
2. Kinna, Kara (May 13, 2017). "Daemon Hunt first round draft pick in WHL". The World-Spectator .
3. Bergson, Perry (March 10, 2019). "Hunt growing as a player and a person". The Brandon Sun .
4. "Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman Daemon Hunt from Iowa". National Hockey League. October 23, 2023.
5. Myers, Dan (October 7, 2020). "Wild selects Hunt with 65th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft". National Hockey League.
6. "Daemon Hunt signs pro deal". The Brandon Sun . May 7, 2021.
7. Palmer, Randy (May 6, 2021). "Warriors captain Hunt signs entry-level deal with Minnesota Wild". Moose Jaw Today .
8. "Hunt, Daemon". National Hockey League.
9. "Hunt named to Canada's World Junior team". Canadian Hockey League. August 2, 2022.
10. McLellan, Sarah (October 27, 2023). "Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt makes his NHL debut in Washington". Star Tribune .
11. "Wild's Daemon Hunt: Assigned to AHL". CBS Sports. RotoWire. October 30, 2023.
12. "Hunt headed to World Under-17 Challenge". Canadian Hockey League. October 16, 2018.
13. Palmer, Randy (December 1, 2021). ""It means everything": Warriors Hunt named to World Junior team selection camp". Moose Jaw Today .
14. Shire, Taylor (July 23, 2020). "Daemon Hunt hoping to crack Team Canada's roster". Global News.
15. "Daemon Hunt Stats". Hockey Reference .

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database