It's been almost two weeks since the Columbus Blue Jackets traded David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild. The former 6th overall pick has huge potential, but seemed to plateau in his development with the team that drafted him. In return for Jiricek, the Jackets picked up a bounty of draft picks; but also a serviceable defense prospect named Daemon Hunt.
Originally taken by the Wild in the third round (#65 overall - 13 picks before the Jackets took Samuel Knazko) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Hunt is currently in his third season of professional hockey. Most of his time has been spent in the AHL, where he's a veteran of 128 games; but he also has 13 games of NHL experience under his belt.
This all comes after an impressive junior career with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors, where he scored 94 points in 163 career games, serving as captain of the team in his last two years in the league. He preceded current top prospect and now Cleveland Monsters teammate Denton Mateychuk in that role.
That isn't his only connection to Columbus, either. He'll be a fan favorite right off the bat because his agent - and second cousin - is none other than CBJ legend Matt Calvert. Aside from the family connection; there are other things to really like here, as well.
Two-way acumen and a team-first attitude...
Right off the bat, Daemon Hunt's offensive numbers don't wow you like David Jiricek's might. But, while he doesn't have the same ceiling, I think he can be an NHL player. In fact, I think he could step into the lineup right now. In 3 games with the Monsters, he already has 3 assists.
Hunt missed a big portion of his draft year due to a freak injury - only to come back and have his season ended early due to the COVID pandemic. Otherwise, I think he would have gone much higher in the draft. Still, the Wild felt strongly enough about him that they actually traded up to make sure they got him.
He doesn't have one trait that stands out, but he does a little bit of everything well. He can skate, moves the puck well, has good gap awareness and can throw the body around. All of this while being a front crest kind of guy, willing to do whatever it takes to help his team succeed. If that sounds a bit like Matt Calvert to you, I'm not surprised. It does to me, also.
In short, maybe the best way to put it: Daemon Hunt is a true pro. Inevitably, the Jackets are going to trade Ivan Provorov away for futures because he's on an expiring contract. While one might assume that Denton Mateychuk would be given that role; I think the team could opt to keep him in the AHL for a stretch and deep playoff run.
That may be part of the reason they felt a need to bring Hunt the other way in the first place. Dean Evason also has a history with him, and I can only imagine that the coach had some good things to say. Either way, I'm happy the team was able to get Hunt thrown into this deal. He looks like a solid acquisition.