Hunter Haight Is Starting To Put It All Together

Liam Ohgren may be the rookie in Iowa who’s catching the headlines with 10 goals and 13 points in 14 games. However, there is another prospect who is impressive. 

2022 second-round pick Hunter Haight. 

Haight is playing first season with the Iowa Wild. He has eight goals and five assists in 24 games. He’s not putting up the same numbers as Ohgren, but he’s off to a good start in his first AHL season. 

Haight’s strengths are his skill and his hands. He’s great with the puck on his stick and has the playmaking ability to complement it. The skills he displayed in his four junior years split between Saginaw and Barrie have translated to Des Moines. 

At age 20, he’s shown the ability to score from all areas of the ice and isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas. Haight scores the goal below by being in the right place at the right time. In doing so, he positions himself well in front of the net to clean up the trash. 

He’s also got a heck of a shot. On the goal below, Haight shows off his sick wrister on the one-timer from the top of the circle. Haight packs a ton of power behind this shot, and the goalie did not have a prayer on the cross-ice feed. 

It doesn’t get much easier than this for Sammy Walker, who capitalizes on Haight’s fantastic feed. It’s an example of Haight’s vision on the ice. He has good control, keeps his head up, and can find and feed his teammates for the easy tuck. 

Haight is fearless. Look at the deke he attempts below. Haight flies into the zone after taking the puck away. He takes on the two-on-one with an attempted toe drag, skate-to-stick move in front of the defender, who sends his stick to outer space. Still, he continues to fight for the puck. 

It’s the effort coaches and general managers love to see. 

Haight is tied for fourth on Iowa with 13 points and tied with veteran Brendan Gaunce for second with his eight goals. Ohgren has more goals than Haight and Gaunce. Still, Haight is tied with an NHL veteran like Gaunce, who has played 178 games over eight seasons.

Minnesota has also frequently poached from Iowa’s roster to fill in for injuries on the big club. Veterans like Devin Shore, Travis Boyd, and Ben Jones have missed time in Iowa. On Monday, they called up Gaunce. 

Gaunce’s call-up has allowed Haight to play higher in the lineup. However, it also means he’s not benefiting from playing with more experienced players. Haight gets power play time with his offensive skill, so that’s been his outlet for getting time with more offensive players. 

The additions of other highly-touted prospects like Ohgren and David Jiricek via trade have helped to spark the Iowa offense, and Haight has also fed off of that. Iowa’s season started poorly. However, the team has been playing much better since adding Ohgren. 

Minnesota probably won’t call Haight up this season unless he goes on a heater here after the turn of the new year. But with the skill, talent, and confidence he’s showing in his first season, it won’t be long until he’s one of Iowa’s best players or gets minutes in St. Paul. 

All stats and data via HockeyDB and Elite Prospects unless otherwise noted.