The Columbus Blue Jackets traded David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, ending weeks of speculation that heavily intensified a week ago when Jiricek was sent to the Cleveland Monsters.
In return, the Blue Jackets (who also gave the Wild a fifth-round pick in 2025) picked up four draft picks: a first-rounder in 2025 (top-five protected), third and fourth round picks in 2026, and a second rounder in 2027.
But they also picked up an intriguing prospect from Minnesota to replace Jiricek: Daemon Hunt.
Here's a dive into what the Blue Jackets are getting in Hunt:
The Past:
Hunt was a third-round selection of the Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft, chosen 65th overall. He is a 22-year-old native of Brandon, Maintoba, Canada and is 6'1", 200lbs.
After being an alternate captain for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL in the 2019-20 season, Hunt was promoted to team captain in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. In those two seasons (69 games), Hunt scored 25 goals and had 32 assists for 57 points.
In his final season (2021-22) with Moose Jaw, he was teammates with Denton Mateychuk, the Blue Jackets current top defensive prospect. Mateychuk was named the Warriors captain when Hunt left for the Wild organization.
That first season with the Wild (2022-23) was spent with the Iowa Wild, the AHL affiliate of Minnesota. He had just two goals and nine assists in 59 games, but the Wild brass liked his development as a defensive player and his 2023-24 training camp with Minnesota was equally impressive. He didn't make the opening night roster but would play in 12 games in the NHL last season.
Five of those games were early in the season and under Dean Evason, the Blue Jackets head coach who at the time was the Minnesota Wild bench boss. In each of his five games played with Evason, Hunt saw a modest uptick in minutes from the previous game.
Evason was fired in November.
Hunt played in a total of 12 games last season, had one point (an assist), and averaged 11:14 of ice time per game. Most of his action was with Iowa, where he had three goals and 26 assists (29 points) in 51 games.
The Present:
Much like Jiricek, Hunt is a young defenseman who wants to be an every-day NHL player and feels like he is ready.
But, while the idea of not being with the NHL club seemed to irk Jiricek, the newest Blue Jacket has a much different outlook. Here's The Athletic's Michael Russo on a recent conversation he had with Hunt:
Talked with Daemon Hunt on Nov. 13. I asked him if it was frustrating the #mnwild couldn't yet find him a spot and he was such a pro about it: I want to be in the NHL, simple as that. But everyones path is different, and right now mine is to be in the American League. Time will
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) November 30, 2024
Mindset is everything, isn't it?
Hunt may also have an understanding that the biggest reason he isn't on the Minnesota roster right now could be for contractual reasons. The Wild currently have seven defenseman on one-way, NHL contracts. For Hunt to crack the lineup, one (or more) of those players would need to be hurt, traded, or fall off the map completely. It's a bit of a log jam, to say the least.
So, Hunt (with the exception of one game with Minnesota) continued to play in Iowa until Saturday's trade. In nine games this season, he has four assists and a -1 plus/minus.
The Future:
Blue Jackets President of Hockey Ops and General Manager Don Waddell described Hunt as a "very good, young defenseman and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family."
He'll be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The ceiling on Hunt is probably not as high as it is with Jiricek — but when a first, second, third, and fourth round draft pick come in too, that was not the expectation.
But the key word there is ceiling. Yes, it's entirely possible that Jiricek goes on to be a fantastic blueliner with the Minnesota Wild. But it's also possible (and not too far-fetched of a belief) that his skating and lack of speed catch up with him, and he never does pan out to be the player that the last Blue Jackets regime thought he could be when they took him two years ago.
The current regime certainly didn't seem to see it that way, either.
It could be different with Hunt, though, who has strengths that align to Evason's style of play he demands from his defenseman. In short, that's blueliners who will jump into the play and use their speed to their advantage — but ones that can do so while still having a high-IQ on the ice and know when the right time to do that is.
That's Hunt in a nutshell. His strong two-way game, his physical game, and his good speed are different strengths than Jiricek's are but they all could prove to be more valuable to the organization.
Being reunited with Mateychuk, who was his linemate on the Warriors blue line at times three years ago, will likely bring a boost to both players too.
And that's where Hunt will start — the team has already announced that their new acquisition will report to Cleveland. He'll likely stay there as the Blue Jackets organization figure out specifically how he can fit in with the club, and it would seem that his Blue Jacket debut will likely come later this season, particularly if Columbus in a position to be sellers at the trade deadline and move a player like Ivan Provorov.
From there, Hunt will have the chance to become an everyday, NHL player.
It's no guarantee.
But neither was — or is — Jiricek.
Get To Know Daemon Hunt:
Based off the video below, Hunt is certainly a guy that will have no trouble making friends in the Columbus (and Cleveland) locker room.
Additionally, Hunt's cousin is his agent — and it's a name that will ring familiar to many Columbus faithful: Matt Calvert.
