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High expectations the name of the game for Warriors captain Hunt

Quest for the playoffs on tap for Moose Jaw veteran, but NHL training camp calling first
Warriors first practice Hunt Waddell
Moose Jaw Warriors captain Daemon Hunt chats with fellow defenceman Jaden Waddell during the first practice of training camp.
Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Daemon Hunt isn’t a wide-eyed kid anymore when it comes to the Western Hockey League.

Every aspect of his game has evolved to the point that the 19-year-old defenceman will most certainly be one of the top rearguards in the league when the 2021-22 campaign kicks off on Oct. 1. And that’s from the first step of training camp leading right into the pre-season and beyond.

The timing couldn’t be better, either — after two seasons of rebuilding the Warriors are looking to take a serious jump in the standings and at the very least land in the playoffs. It’s a challenge the Brandon product is most certainly looking forward to, especially with the ‘C’ on his chest for another season.

“I think last year was a little bit different, I still had a bit more pressure and so on, but I love being a leader and I take pride in it, I just think it’s in my blood,” Hunt said after the Warriors first training camp practice. “I know there’s a lot of expectations for us this year, so I’ll take advantage of that and do what I can to help the team win.”

With a focus on winning comes the pressure to do so. For Hunt, it’s a matter following a similar pattern he’s followed his whole career — when you’re a regular on Hockey Canada national teams and a leader on your team pretty much from the first time you took the ice, a lot of intangibles in that direction begin to come naturally.

“I think the pressure is good; I’ve had pressure since playing Pee Wee hockey and I think I thrive under pressure. My game just gets better and better and it helps with all that,” Hunt said. “I’ll do what I can to use it to help the team and help us continue to improve.”

Having said all that, there is the matter of what he’ll be up to next.

Hunt will soon be off to the Minnesota Wild training camp. The 2019 third-round NHL Draft selection is looking forward to the experience.

“I haven’t been down there yet. I’ve been with their American Hockey League team in Iowa but I haven’t seen what they have in St. Paul. I’m excited to get down there and see the city and meet my teammates and coaches,” Hunt said. 

“It’s like starting over again when I was 15 in Moose Jaw. It’s all part of moving up the ranks and I’m just excited for the opportunity. It’ll be a good experience and when I get back here it’ll only help me.”

That is, if he comes back — make no mistake, Hunt is hoping to crack the Wild roster, especially after getting a taste of it all in the American Hockey League with the Iowa Wild last season. He played six games with the minor league franchise, scoring his first professional goal in the process.

“It’s a major step up from the Western Hockey League — the game is so fast and you have to make decisions so quickly to keep up with that level of hockey,” Hunt said. “I learned a lot from it, and when I came into the bubble last year it helped get my game to the next level.

"And there’s the leadership part of that, too, those guys are men and have been around the game and it’s great to be around guys with that experience.”

Hunt feels building on what he saw in Iowa will only help him going forward, and especially trying to crack the Minnesota line-up.

“I’m confident in myself and my abilities, and I’m confident I can make that team,” Hunt said. “I’m still young and there’s a lot down the road, but I’m going into camp to try and make the team. Why else would I be there, right? So I’ll try and push myself and see what happens.”

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