REGINA -- Moose Jaw Warriors captain Daemon Hunt is excited to get back on the ice for the 2021 season after spending the past year dealing with injuries and letdowns.
“It was pretty tough on me honestly. Lots of people don’t see that side of an injury and as well with COVID, the mental side of it,” Hunt said.
The 18-year-old defenseman was sidelined for half of the 2019-20 season due to an injury. While facing the Edmonton Oil Kings, an opponent's skate blade cut a muscle in Hunt’s forearm. He required surgery and 15 stitches.
“The last year-and-a-half has been I guess you could say crazy. It’s been a whirlwind if anything surreal,” Hunt added.
Then the pandemic hit. A bright spot was that Hunt heard his name called during the NHL’s 2020 Draft. The Minnesota Wild selected Hunt in the third round, 65th overall.
“Hearing my name called and seeing myself on TV and my reaction with my family it was pretty amazing,” Hunt said.
However, the mental anguish of missing half of the Western Hockey League (WHL) season took a toll on Hunt. He sought out therapy and took up yoga.
Hunt was invited to Canada’s U21 World Junior camp, but after testing positive for COVID-19 while in the quarantine bubble in Red Deer, he was released from the tryout camp due to health protocols.
Hunt is one of the only players in the East Division Hub who has seen meaningful game action. The left-handed shooter from Brandon, Man. spent a month in the AHL before coming to the Regina WHL hub. He played in three games with the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild’s farm team.
“My game definitely expanded, it grew I got bigger and stronger while I was there and that’s great for my development,” Hunt said.
Minnesota Wild prospect Daemon Hunt played three games in the AHL with the Iowa Wild before joining the Warriors in the Regina hub. (Courtesy: Iowa Wild)
Hunt is now looking forward to joining his teammates on the ice for his first WHL game in over a year.
“Just excitement, I’m already getting goosebumps thinking about tomorrow night, hitting the ice,” Hunt said.
The Warriors as a unit are eager to get back on the ice. In 2019-20, the team finished second last in the WHL standings with a 14-44-4-0 record.
“It was certainly a rebuilding year but I don’t think we anticipated that rough,” Mark O’Leary, the Warriors Head Coach, said.
The Warriors face the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first game at Regina’s Brandt Centre.
“The hub this year is going to be great in terms of the matchups,” O’Leary added. “I don’t think there’s a team that’s way up here or way down here.”
The puck drops for the Warriors first game at 4 p.m. on Friday.
