Daemon Hunt showed up in the first preseason game in Minnesota: Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild got off to a great start to the preseason with a 5-2 victory against the Winnipeg Jets last Saturday night. However, Minnesota and Winnipeg’s rosters differ significantly from what we’ll see in a few weeks.

NHL teams use preseason games to narrow down their big rosters, so the first few games usually involve a team of players competing for a spot on the full-season roster. Seasoned players, such as Marc-Andre Fleury, who backed up Wallstedt for the game, occasionally play early in the preseason. Later, we’ll see more veterans take the ice in preparation for regular-season games.

In the weekend lineup, the Wild had new draft picks like Ryder Ritchie, low-profile players like Jakub Lauko and Graeme Clarke, and incoming goaltender Jesper Wallstedt – who last year became the youngest goaltender in Wild history.

However, Daemon Hunt stood out. The 22-year-old defenseman from Brandon, Canada, was Minnesota’s 65th overall draft pick in 2020. Starting in 2022-2023, 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 scoresheet. He had multiple shots on goal while playing solid defense. His ability to dive deep into the offensive zone sets him apart. He also occasionally goes as low as the hashmarks to grab a loose puck and make a shot. However, Hunt also shows a strong presence on the net front and is not afraid to get physical and clear players in front of the defensive net.

Throughout the match, Hunt took the body when necessary and wasn’t afraid to get a little out of position to make a play.

This style of play paid off for Hunt as he scored the second goal of the match on a power play, assisted by Ryder Ritchie and Luke Toporowski. Ritchie sent a pass from the point to Toporowski, who pushed it back to Hunt despite pressure from Jets defenseman Tyrel Bauer. Hunt took a quick hit and swung the puck past the Winnipeg defense.

Given his success in this game, I hope to see Hunt on special teams. Although his usual playing style is gritty, physical and sometimes risky, Hunt was disciplined on the power play. The Manitoba native went deep in his own goal to pick up ice pucks and quickly set up the power play, making clean passes to his teammates.

In addition to taking advantage of the Wild power play with his goal, Hunt successfully helped kill several penalties, and the Jets failed to score on the power play. Hunt put his body on the line and managed to block at least four shots during the game, including a particularly painful-looking shot on Winnipeg’s power play with 2:02 left in the second period.

On the scoresheet, Hunt finished the match as a -1. That may not look great on a stat sheet, but it’s important to consider how the goals were scored. Despite playing an offensive game, Hunt was rarely caught on the wrong side of a Jets player. He was consistently back when his defense partner, Kalem Parker, was making a play.

Unfortunately, he was still on the ice for both goals conceded. Colin Miller scored Winnipeg’s first goal from the point with 1:03 to go in the first period. Hunt played his part picking up bodies up front but unfortunately it was a heavily shielded goal that would have been a difficult save for Wallstedt.

On the second goal, Barlow scored seconds after the face-off. Hunt was the defender at the other end and rushed to get in front of the net but failed to get a stick on Barlow in time.

Ultimately, Hunt put his best foot forward on Saturday and made himself a strong contender for Minnesota’s final roster. He rushed to grab loose pucks all 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 that will need to be narrowed down in the coming weeks.

However, Daemon Hunt stood out as a promising defenseman for the Minnesota Wild. If he plays it this way consistently, he could make it.

Do you think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we’ll pay you for it. Just fill out this form.