{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player (born 2002)}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | name = Daemon Hunt | image = Daemon Hunt and Mason Marchment.jpg | image_size = | caption = Hunt with the Minnesota Wild in 2025. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|5|15}} | birth_place = Moosomin, Saskatchewan, Canada | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 193 | position = Defence | shoots = Left | league = NHL | team = Minnesota Wild | prospect_league = | prospect_team = | former_teams = | ntl_team = | draft = 65th overall | draft_year = 2020 | draft_team = Minnesota Wild | career_start = 2021 | career_end = }} '''Daemon Hunt''' (born May 15, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for 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.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/201837/daemon-hunt|website=Elite Prospects|title=Daemon Hunt Stats}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto4"/> 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.<ref name="auto6">{{Cite news|url=https://world-spectator.com/news_story.php?id=468|newspaper=The World-Spectator|title=Daemon Hunt first round draft pick in WHL|date=May 13, 2017|author=Kinna, Kara}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto4"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brandonsun.com/sports/wheat-kings/2019/03/10/whl-notebook-hunt-growing-as-a-player-and-a-person|newspaper=The Brandon Sun|title=Hunt growing as a player and a person |author=Bergson, Perry|date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> In the 2018–19 season with the Warriors, Hunt appeared in 57 games and scored 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists.<ref name="auto4"/> He became an alternate captain for the team in 2019–20 and scored 15 points in 28 games.<ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/minnesota-wild-recalls-hunt-102323|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman Daemon Hunt from Iowa |date=October 23, 2023}}</ref>
Hunt was selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft with the 65th overall pick by the Minnesota Wild.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/hunt-draft-100720-319355014|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Wild selects Hunt with 65th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft |date=October 7, 2020|author=Myers, Dan}}</ref> Before the 2020–21 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.brandonsun.com/sports/hockey/2021/05/07/daemon-hunt-signs-pro-deal|newspaper=The Brandon Sun|title=Daemon Hunt signs pro deal |date=May 7, 2021}}</ref> He played three further games for the Iowa Wild after the WHL season finished.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/warriors-captain-hunt-signed-entry-level-deal-with-minnesota-wild-3756093|newspaper=Moose Jaw Today|title=Warriors captain Hunt signs entry-level deal with Minnesota Wild|author=Palmer, Randy|date=May 6, 2021}}</ref>
On May 6, 2021, Hunt signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild.<ref name="auto3"/> He remained with Moose Jaw as team captain in the 2021–22 season, playing 46 games and scoring 39 points.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?cat=1&dpid=119491&sort=midtermRank&year=2020|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Hunt, Daemon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chl.ca/whl-warriors/hunt-named-to-canadas-world-junior-team/|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|title=Hunt named to Canada's World Junior team|date=August 2, 2022}}</ref> He finished his WHL career with 163 games played and 94 points scored (33 goals, 61 assists).<ref name="auto2"/> 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).<ref name="auto2"/> He had two game-winning goals, placing first among the league's rookie defencemen.<ref name="auto2"/>
Hunt was injured in a Minnesota Wild preseason game in 2023–24 and was then sent back to Iowa.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite news|url=https://www.startribune.com/wild-defenseman-daemon-hunt-makes-nhl-debut-washington/600315389/?refresh=true|newspaper=Star Tribune|title=Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt makes his NHL debut in Washington|author=McLellan, Sarah|date=October 27, 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto5"/> He played two games for Minnesota, posting one shot on goal, before being reassigned to Iowa on October 30.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/wilds-daemon-hunt-assigned-to-ahl/|work=CBS Sports|agency=RotoWire|title=Wild's Daemon Hunt: Assigned to AHL|date=October 30, 2023}}</ref>
During the 2024–25 season, Hunt was traded by the Wild alongside four draft picks to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for David Jiříček on November 30, 2024. Hunt had spent the rest of the season at the AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters where he posted 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 48 games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/columbus-blue-jackets-trade-david-jiricek-to-minnesota-wild |title=Jiricek traded to Wild by Blue Jackets for Hunt, 4 draft picks |publisher=National Hockey League |date=November 30, 2024 |access-date=November 30, 2024}}</ref>
On October 2, 2025, Hunt was placed on waivers by the Blue Jackets, and was claimed by his original team, the Minnesota Wild, the following day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/minnesota-wild-claims-defenseman-daemon-hunt-off-waivers-from-columbus-and-recalls-defenseman-matt-kiersted-from-iowa|title=Minnesota Wild Claims Defenseman Daemon Hunt Off Waivers From Columbus and Recalls Defenseman Matt Kiersted From Iowa|website=NHL.com|publisher=Minnesota Wild|date=October 3, 2025|access-date=October 21, 2025}}</ref>
==International play== Hunt played for the Canada team at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chl.ca/whl-warriors/hunt-headed-to-world-under-17-challenge/|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|title=Hunt headed to World Under-17 Challenge|date=October 16, 2018}}</ref> He played at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, recording one assist in seven games while having a plus–minus rating of plus-five.<ref name="auto2"/> Hunt was also selected to the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and played five games, helping Canada win the silver medal.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.moosejawtoday.com/local-news/it-means-everything-warriors-hunt-named-to-world-junior-team-selection-camp-4818995|newspaper=Moose Jaw Today|title="It means everything": Warriors Hunt named to World Junior team selection camp|date=December 1, 2021|author=Palmer, Randy}}</ref> He was in the World Junior selection camp in 2020 but did not make the final cut after contracting COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7210935/moose-jaw-warrior-daemon-hunt-team-canada/|publisher=Global News|title=Daemon Hunt hoping to crack Team Canada's roster|date=July 23, 2020|author=Shire, Taylor}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/> Hunt was selected to the 2022 World Junior roster again for team Canada, but was injured in a pre tournament game prior to the tournament beginning. Canada won the gold medal at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.<ref name="auto2"/>
==Personal life== Hunt was born on May 15, 2002, in Brandon, Manitoba.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/h/huntda01.html|website=Hockey Reference|title=Daemon Hunt Stats}}</ref> He grew up in Moosomin, Saskatchewan.<ref name="auto6"/> but eventually moved back to Brandon, Manitoba to play hockey. He is a cousin with former NHL player Matt Calvert.<ref name="auto"/>
== Career statistics == === Regular season and playoffs === {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5"|Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! 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 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 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 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2019–20 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 28 || 0 || 15 || 15 || 17 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2020–21 | Virden Oil Capitals | MJHL | 3 || 3 || 2 || 5 || 2 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2020–21 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 6 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2020–21 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 23 || 8 || 10 || 18 || 11 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 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 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2023–24 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 51 || 3 || 26 || 29 || 29 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2023–24 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 12 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2024–25 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 9 || 0 || 4 || 4 || 5 | — || — || — || — || — |- | 2024–25 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2024–25 | Cleveland Monsters | AHL | 48 || 2 || 12 || 14 || 16 | — || — || — || — || — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" |NHL totals ! 13 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1 !! 0 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |}
===International=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM |- | 2018 | Canada Black | U17 | 5th | 5 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2019 | Canada | U18 | 4th | 7 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 |- | 2019 | Canada | HG18 | {{silver2}} | 5 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="4" |Junior totals ! 17 !! 0 !! 3 !! 3 !! 0 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{icehockeystats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Daemon}} Category:2002 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen Category:Cleveland Monsters players Category:Iowa Wild players Category:Sportspeople from Brandon, Manitoba Category:Minnesota Wild draft picks Category:Minnesota Wild players Category:Moose Jaw Warriors players Category:Virden Oil Capitals players Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen