LD Daemon Hunt - Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL (2020, 65th, MIN)

[MMC]

Daemon Hunt at eliteprospects.com

I saw this defenseman on a prospect list as a potential first round pick for next year, can someone who's seen him play tell me more about him?

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[Artorius Horus T]

I followed his last season, some, can't say much about him thou. Can't remember much right out cold.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Short Highlight video

 

[Artorius Horus T]

A solid D prospect.

 

[MMC]

A solid D prospect.

Where do you think he'll be drafted?

 

[landy92mack29]

He's a really good 2way dman who reminds me quite a bit of Libor Hajek from his time in the WHL. Has a solid skill set and high IQ which should make him a solid mid pair guy, at least potential wise. Moose Jaw likely won't be overly great this year but with them trading Woo it gives Hunt a lot more of a opportunity to play top PP time and put up good offensive numbers. Likely will go somewhere in the 20-40 range but long way to go as to determine exactly where he'll end up.

 

[Dominance]

Where do you think he'll be drafted?

Realistically, I could see him going anywhere from 25-75. I don’t think he’s the kind of player who could make a big enough visible splash to move deep into such a crowded first round, but he’s one of those guys who could be quietly taken in the second or early third and be ranked by consensus in the top-20 in redrafts just a couple years later.

 

[Leviathan899]

He's a really good 2way dman who reminds me quite a bit of Libor Hajek from his time in the WHL. Has a solid skill set and high IQ which should make him a solid mid pair guy, at least potential wise. Moose Jaw likely won't be overly great this year but with them trading Woo it gives Hunt a lot more of a opportunity to play top PP time and put up good offensive numbers. Likely will go somewhere in the 20-40 range but long way to go as to determine exactly where he'll end up.

Is he comparable at all to Matthew Robertson to you?

 

[landy92mack29]

Is he comparable at all to Matthew Robertson to you?

They're fairly similar with Hunt being a little better at reading plays while Robertson is bigger and more of a physical dman. Hunt isn't afraid of the physical side by any means just not as engaging as Robertson

 

[Machinehead]

His name is literally Demon Hunt

 

[Daximus]

As a MJ Warriors season ticket holder I've had the pleasure of watching Hunt grow into an excellent two-way defender. I feel like he is off the radar right now but that could change as the season goes on. Similar to Jett Woo.

Hunt is fluid skater, not amazing on his top speed but great on his edges and has decent acceleration. Has a great defensive stick and will engage physically in all zones, loves to lay punishing checks when he can but doesn't over do it. He has a sneaky ability to get lost in the offensive zone along the blueline and unleash a pretty heavy shot. Both his slapper and wrist shot are his best weapons and he needs to use them a lot more as he can thread pucks through bodies and unless he sees a clear path to the net, he can keep them low. Needs some work on his puck rushing abilities but his first pass is typically pretty solid. He can get caught puck watching sometimes but is often in a good position to recover. Good things typically happen when he joins the rush but he does so sparingly. All in all he's a solid young two-way defender who has a lot of offensive upside but prefers to keep things safe most of the time. Kid lays it all on the line every night and never gives up on a play. Heart and soul type and from what I hear a really solid kid.

If I had to peg it he likely won't have the high end production to get into the first round but given his personality, determination and dedication. Some team will fall in love with this kid and draft him mid to late 2nd round.

I project him at as high as a really solid dedicated and fan favorite two-way 4/5 dman. He may end up sticking to his defensive game in the NHL if he makes it which is good enough to keep him there. Where I think he could be a solid 6/7 if nothing else works for him.

I'll update my thoughts as the season progresses.

 

[S E P H]

He was given an "A" ranking in NHL CSS preliminary rankings. In their mid-term rankings, he's ranked 22nd in NA skaters which is around mid-2nd round to early 3rd round. His point total is terrible, but most definitely not a player that you can stat whack. He's actually quite impressive, I don't see high-end first pairing offensive skills. However, he's grown into a very good two-way defender who loves to jump up into the play.

His fluidity and hockey IQ are top notch even though neither one is at an elite level. Surprised to see that he's only 6'0", he looks much bigger on ice and I suggest he plays bigger than his size says. He's not overly physical by any means, but he isn't soft at all either and takes care of busy in front of his net. Would like to see him practice his hands and shot for the future, I think there is some untapped 2nd PP QB in him, but he needs to improve those two areas before he is considered in the pros. Hard to give him a comparison because he reminds me of a smaller Seabrook who you can say is a current day John Marino, but I see some Brett Pesce elements in him as well. Probably has #4 talent who has the potential to be a solid #3 if he's able to put some of his offensive tools together.

oth his slapper and wrist shot are his best weapons and he needs to use them a lot more

I said he needs to improve his shot, but honestly this might be more of the case. He very much rarely uses his shot and the ones that he fires tend to be savable at this current point in time. I mean he hasn't scored a goal yet on the year, so some improvement is obviously needed, but i think he does have the potential.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

At this point I feel like he is resting on the laurels of his prestige more than anything. If you only look at what he has been able to achieve this year, between his injuries, lack of ES production (only 1 primary point at ES this year, 2 ES points overall) and what look to be a fair share of defensive struggles, this guy may be completely off a bunch of draft boards.

However, like Theo Rochette in the QMJHL, a team may take a shot at him in the mid-late rounds and hope the upside from his rookie year + raw skill may turn him into a steal and write this as an off-year. I feel like that is his only chance of getting drafted though and the only reason either still make it onto my board at all.

 

[LastWordArmy]

Drafted 15th overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, defenceman Daemon Hunt scored seven goals and 20 points as a WHL rookie. Hunt played for Team Canada Black at the 2018 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge. In five tournament games, he scored two assists. He also made it onto Team Canada as an underage player at last year’s IIHF Under-18 World Championships putting up one assist in seven games. He also played in this summer’s Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, helping Team Canada to a silver medal.

Named an alternate captain for the Moose Jaw Warriors prior to the season, Hunt’s draft year did not go as he would have hoped. In early December, a freak accident in a game against the Edmonton Oil Kings saw Hunt get hit in the arm by a skate, leaving a deep laceration. He missed three months of action. When Hunt finally returned, he played just a handful of games before the season was cancelled. The lack of time on the ice this year has likely caused Hunt to fall down draft rankings. Overall he put up 15 assists in 28 games for the rebuilding Warriors, including four points in the five games after his return.

Our Full Scouting Report
https://lastwordonhockey.com/2020/05/20/daemon-hunt-scouting-report/

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Minnesota!

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

This guy is a beauty

 

[landy92mack29]

Hunt has been really impressive early on and definitely put in the work with the time off they had. Skating looks more explosive and more power on his shot. Even his puck skills are quite improved and is trying some moves I hadn't seen him try before. Looks like another great find in the 3rd for Minny and should be in contention for the 3rd pairing spot on Canada's WJC team next year.

 

[57special]

I think that spending time in the AHL has spurred the development of a few young CHL prospects. Nothing like a taste of a higher level of hockey to show you what you need to work on.

 

[landy92mack29]

They've had basically no time since coming back from the ahl to improve....it's a year off of hockey to just train that improves players. The ahl is a adjustment league

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Brackett strikes again

 

[VoidCreature]

How did the Devils not draft this man, just for his name.

 

[covfefe]

I mean he was probably the single clearest value pick of anyone in the draft past #15 or so. Another WHL snipe by Minny.

 

[MuckOG]

Having himself a nice D+1 season...

20 GP 7 goals+9 assists 16 pts

 

[57special]

Can anyone who watches his game comment. The points are nice, but MN could use a solid defender in a couple of years or so. Can Hunt defend well? Does he have any weaknesses in that regard?

 

[landy92mack29]

His strength is being a pmd who skates well but his defensive game isn't a weakness. Still needs to bulk up for pro hockey but has good height so as he ages that should come. Fits the modern day dman mold pretty well in he's not a shutdown guy like guhle or Schneider but isn't someone who's going to be taken advantage of too much. Should have a good chance of making the wjc team next year as the 6th or 7th dman.