Thank you to the 70 readers who voted in this year’s countdown of the 25 best players in the Columbus Blue Jackets system under the age of 25. Today we continue with #24:
#24 Daemon Hunt
Voting
24th of 40
Total Points: 1726
Average Placement: 24.310
Biography
Birthdate: May 15, 2002
Birthplace: Brandon, Manitoba
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 201 lbs
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Acquired: via trade on November 30, 2024 from the Minnesota Wild along with a 2025 1st round pick (Pyotr Andreyanov), 2026 3rd round pick (Colorado), 2026 4th round pick (Toronto) and 2027 2nd round pick in exchange for David Jiricek and a 2025 5th round pick (Justin Kipkie)
2024-25 Season
The #4 player in this ranking last summer was David Jiricek. After several members of the defense were let go, it seemed like the path was paved for Jiricek to seize the spot on the right side of the top defensive pairing, opposite Zach Werenski. Instead, he had an unimpressive camp and even a long term injury to Erik Gudbranson didn’t result in more minutes for Jiricek. Dante Fabbro was claimed off the waiver wire and immediately clicked with Werenski, and it was clear then that Jiricek’s days in Columbus were numbered.
The traded ended up being a fairly big one, with the Jackets getting a first round pick, a future second pick, a defensive prospect, and two late round picks in exchange for Jiricek and a late round pick. That first round pick was used on a player who will appear later on this list. The prospect? Daemon Hunt.
Hunt was a third round pick in 2020, which of course was a weird draft year due to COVID stuff. Fortunately the WHL did resume play in 2021 so he was able to play 23 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors and another 46 the next year, both as the captain. In those years, he was teammates with fellow Jacket Denton Mateychuk.
In three full seasons as a pro, Hunt has played just 13 games in the NHL, vs. 167 in the AHL. He recorded four assists in nine games with the Iowa Wild before the trade, then two goals and 12 assists in 48 games with the Cleveland Monsters afterwards.
2025-26 Outlook
Hunt is not currently under contract, but is still a restricted free agent. We should expect him to re-sign at some point between now and the start of training camp. The hold-up may be whether it’s a one year or multi-year deal, and whether it is a one- or two-way deal for any portion.
The main factor working against Hunt is that the left side of the defense is full behind Werenski, Mateychuk, and Jake Christiansen, not to mention natural lefty Ivan Provorov who appears to be set on the right side for the long term now. Could Hunt at least earn the first call-up from Cleveland in case of injury, or is he behind Stanislav Svozil, who has a longer history in the organization (but was not selected by the current management).
Don Waddell praised Hunt in the aftermath of trade, but is he alone worth the deal? I suspect the greater part of the value will come from the first round pick this summer and the second round pick next season.