Wild re-sign defenseman to one-year contract

The Minnesota Wild have re-signed defenseman Daemon Hunt to a one-year, $900,000 contract for the 2026-27 season, the team announced Sunday. The agreement was finalized just hours before Hunt faced the deadline to decide whether to file for salary arbitration.

Hunt, 24, is coming off a one-year, $775,000 restricted free agent contract he signed in August 2025. If he appears in at least 35 NHL games during the 2026-27 season, he will remain a restricted free agent in July 2027, according to PuckPedia. If he falls short of that mark, he would become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, provided he meets the NHL’s age and professional experience requirements.

The Brandon, Manitoba, native set career highs last season with Minnesota, recording six assists, six penalty minutes and 43 blocked shots. He appeared in 34 NHL games after being claimed off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 3, 2025. Across parts of three NHL seasons with the Wild from 2023-26, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound defenseman has garnered seven assists, six penalty minutes and 62 blocked shots in 45 career games.

Hunt also spent time in the American Hockey League during the 2025-26 campaign, appearing in 48 games with the Cleveland Monsters, where he amassed two goals and 12 assists for 14 points. Over five AHL seasons with the Iowa Wild and Cleveland, he has accumulated 59 points (eight goals, 51 assists), 64 penalty minutes and 224 shots in 173 games. During the 2023-24 season with Iowa, he ranked third on the team with 26 assists and fifth in scoring with 29 points.

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Originally selected by Minnesota in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Hunt also produced 94 points (33 goals, 61 assists) and 81 penalty minutes in 163 WHL games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, serving as team captain during his final two seasons from 2020-22. With Jake Middleton traded to the Calgary Flames, Hunt will have an opportunity to compete for a larger depth role on the Wild blue line next season.