| Hunter Jones | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 2000 Brantford, Ontario | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| AHL team Former teams | Laval Rocket Iowa Wild | ||
| NHL draft | 59th overall, 2019 Minnesota Wild | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Hunter Jones (born September 21, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected in the second round, 59th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Jones was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He began playing hockey at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks of the minor hockey system. His youth team was the Mississauga Reps U15 AAA of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). [1]
Jones began his junior hockey career with the Stouffville Spirit of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) in 2016–17. He played in 16 games for the Spirit, posting a 2.74 goals against average and .917 save percentage. [2]
After one season with the Spirit, Jones was drafted by the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He joined the Petes in 2017–18 and appeared in 15 games, posting a 5.14 goals against average and .866 save percentage. [3]
While facing struggles in his first season with the Petes, Jones rebounded in 2018–19. In 57 games, he posted a 3.31 goals against average and .902 save percentage. [4] He was named the Petes' most improved player and was selected to play in the 2019 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. [5] [6]
In his final major junior season with the Petes in 2019–20, Jones was named OHL's Goaltender of the Month in October 2019, after recording an 8-1-0-0 record with a 2.34 goals against average, .923 save percentage and one shutout over nine games. [7]
Jones was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the second round (59th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wild on March 26, 2020. [8]
Jones made his American Hockey League (AHL) debut with the Iowa Wild in the 2020–21 season, playing 19 games, and posting a 3.50 goals against average and .886 save percentage. [9]
During the Stanley Cup playoffs of the 2022–23 season, Wild general manager Bill Guerin announced that Jones was recalled to serve as Minnesota's third goalie on April 17, 2023. [10]
On July 1, 2024, Jones signed a one-year AHL contract with the Laval Rocket, affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. [11] Prior to the beginning of the 2024–25 season, Jones was reassigned to the Trois-Rivières Lions, the Canadiens' ECHL affiliate, on October 7. [12] Thereafter, Jones helped guide the Lions to the franchise's first Kelly Cup championship. [13]
Entering the ensuing offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Jones agreed to a one-year deal to remain with the Rocket organization on July 5, 2025. [14]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada | ||
| World Junior A Challenge | ||
 | 2016 Canada | |
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge | ||
| 2016 Canada | |
Internationally, Jones firstly represented Hockey Canada as part of team Canada Black at the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge [15] where he earned a silver medal. [16] Shortly thereafter, he became the first ever 16-year-old goaltender to be named to the annual World Junior A Challenge [17] capturing a silver medal along with team Canada East. [18]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2016–17 | Stouffville Spirit | OJHL | 16 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 854 | 39 | 1 | 2.74 | .917 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 10 | 0 | 6.18 | .833 | ||
| 2017–18 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 15 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 875 | 75 | 0 | 5.14 | .866 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 57 | 28 | 24 | 2 | 3,156 | 174 | 3 | 3.31 | .902 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 245 | 19 | 0 | 4.66 | .862 | ||
| 2019–20 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 49 | 31 | 14 | 3 | 2,833 | 130 | 4 | 2.75 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1,097 | 64 | 2 | 3.50 | .886 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 485 | 29 | 0 | 3.59 | .884 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Iowa Heartlanders | ECHL | 22 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 1,260 | 85 | 0 | 4.04 | .878 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 1.95 | .929 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Iowa Heartlanders | ECHL | 38 | 11 | 17 | 9 | 2,227 | 114 | 1 | 3.07 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 | .889 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Iowa Heartlanders | ECHL | 18 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1,014 | 61 | 0 | 3.61 | .890 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Trois-Rivières Lions | ECHL | 28 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 1,629 | 78 | 0 | 2.87 | .905 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 1 | 1 | 0.76 | .970 | ||
| AHL totals | 30 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 1,703 | 101 | 2 | 3.56 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Canada Black | U17 |  | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .852 | |
| 2016 | Canada East | WJAC | | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Junior totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .852 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| OHA | ||
| Top Prospect Award | 2017 | [19] |
| OJHL | ||
| Second All-Prospect Team | 2017 | [20] |
| CHL | ||
| CHL Canada/Russia Series | 2018, 2019 | [21] [22] |
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2019 | [23] |
| ECHL | ||
| Kelly Cup champion | 2025 | [24] |
Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or Eliteprospects.com , or The Internet Hockey Database