By Bekki Antonelli -
The Minnesota Wild had a great start to the preseason with a 5-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets last Saturday night. However, Minnesota and Winnipeg’s rosters are markedly different from what we will see in a few weeks.
NHL teams use preseason games to whittle down their large rosters, so the first few games are usually a team of players vying for a spot on the full season roster. Seasoned players, such as Marc-Andre Fleury, who was backup to Wallstedt for the game, occasionally play early in the preseason. Later on, we’ll see more veterans hit the ice in preparation for regulation games.
In the weekend lineup, the Wild had new draft picks like Ryder Ritchie, players from low-profile trades like Jakub Lauko and Graeme Clarke, and upcoming goalie Jesper Wallstedt – who became the youngest goaltender in Wild history last year.
However, Daemon Hunt stood out. The 22-year-old defenseman from Brandon, Canada, was Minnesota’s 65th overall draft pick in 2020. Starting in 2022-23, Hunt played two seasons and had 40 points with the Iowa Wild. However, Hunt played 12 games with the Minnesota Wild last year, where he had one assist.
Daemon Hunt is a versatile player who is effective on both ends of the ice. On Saturday, Hunt worked to get his name on the score sheet. He had multiple shots on goal while playing solid defense. His ability to pinch deep into the offensive zone sets him apart. He also occasionally goes as low as the hash marks to get a loose puck and get a shot off. However, Hunt also shows strong netfront presence and is not afraid to get physical and clear players in front of the defending net.
Throughout the game, Hunt took the body when he needed to and was not afraid to get a little out of position to make a play.
This playing style paid off for Hunt when he scored the game's second goal on a power play, assisted by Ryder Ritchie and Luke Toporowski. Ritchie sent a pass down to Toporowski from the point, who slid it back up to Hunt despite pressure from Jets defenseman Tyrel Bauer. Hunt took a quick slapshot and snaked the puck by Winnipeg's defense.
Given his success in this game, I hope to see Hunt on special teams. While his usual play style is gritty, physical, and occasionally risky, Hunt was disciplined on the power play. The Manitoba native went deep in his own end to pick up iced pucks and quickly set up the power play, making clean passes to his teammates.
Besides capitalizing on the Wild power play with his goal, Hunt helped successfully kill several penalties, and the Jets didn’t score on the power play. Hunt put his body on the line and managed to block at least 4 shots during the game, including a particularly painful-looking one during Winnipeg’s power play with 2:02 left in the second period.
On the scoresheet, Hunt finished the game as a -1. That might not look so good on a stat sheet, but it’s important to consider how the goals happened. Despite Hunt playing an offensive game, he was rarely caught on the wrong side of a Jets player. He was consistently back when his defense partner, Kalem Parker, was up making a play.
Unfortunately, he was still on the ice for both goals against. Colin Miller scored Winnipeg’s first goal with 1:03 left in the first period from the point. Hunt was playing his part by picking up bodies out front, but unfortunately, it was a heavily screened goal that would have been a tough save for Wallstedt.
On the second goal, Barlow scored seconds after the faceoff. Hunt was the far-side defenseman and hustled to get in front of the net but failed to get a stick on Barlow in time.
Ultimately, Hunt put his best foot forward Saturday and made himself a strong contender for Minnesota's final roster. He hustled to get loose pucks throughout the game and showed he could produce by scoring and blocking shots while playing a consistent end-to-end game. Minnesota still has a roster of 50 players to narrow down in the coming weeks.
However, Daemon Hunt stood out as a promising defense for the Minnesota Wild. If he plays this like this consistently, he could make the cut.
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