Brad Hunt (ice hockey)

Lore & Background

Hunt began playing hockey in the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association at the atom level, starting as a forward before switching to defence in pee-wee to gain more playing time. He played two years of midget AAA then made the junior B Ridge Meadows Flames in the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) as a sixteen-year-old. During his first year with the Flames, he was named the team's Rookie of the Year and played in the PJHL All-Star and Prospect Game. He was called up to the junior A Burnaby Express in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), playing three games and two playoff games while the team won the 2006 Royal Bank Cup as Canadian junior A champions. He stayed with the Express the following season, scoring 4 goals and 38 points in 60 games, and was named the team's Most Outstanding Defenceman. In his final junior season, he increased his offensive production to 16 goals and 55 points, played in the BCHL All-Star Game, and was again named the team's Most Outstanding Defenceman.

Hunt attended Bemidji State University, playing for the Bemidji State Beavers in NCAA Division I. In his first season, he scored 9 goals and 32 points in 33 games, helping the Beavers win the College Hockey America (CHA) tournament and earn an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. As the lowest seeded team, Bemidji State upset Notre Dame and defeated Cornell University to advance to the Frozen Four, becoming the first number 16 seed to do so and the first team from outside college hockey's top four conferences to reach the Frozen Four. Their run ended with a 4–1 loss to Miami University. Hunt was named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team and at season's end earned All-CHA Rookie Team, All-CHA First Team, and CHA Rookie of the Year honors. In his second season, his goal production dipped to 7 but he increased his assists to 26, one shy of the school's Division I single-season record. He was again named to the All-CHA First Team. For the 2010–11 season, Bemidji State moved to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), where Hunt's point production dropped to 3 goals and 21 points, though he quarterbacked one of the conference's top power plays. In his senior season, he was named an alternate captain and scored 5 goals and 26 points with a career-low 8 penalty minutes. He finished his Bemidji State career with 112 points, becoming the sixth defenceman in school history to eclipse 100 points and leaving as the Beavers' all-time leader in defenceman scoring and defenceman power play goals.

Undrafted out of college, Hunt signed an amateur tryout contract with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, where his first head coach was Craig MacTavish. He scored his first professional goal on March 29, 2012, against the Abbotsford Heat in front of 40 friends and family members. He played 14 games for Chicago, registering one goal and five points, and added 1 goal and 5 points in 5 Calder Cup playoff games. In the off-season, the Wolves signed Hunt to a standard player contract. In his first full professional season, he was named to the 2013 AHL All-Star Game, replacing the injured Brett Sterling as the Wolves' representative. At the All-Star skills competition, he participated in three events and finished third in the Hardest Shot competition with a 99.5 mph shot. He scored a first-period goal in the All-Star Game as the Western Conference won 7–6. He finished the season with 4 goals and 33 points. In the off-season, Hunt signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, for whom MacTavish had become general manager. He made his NHL debut on January 3, 2014, against the Anaheim Ducks, playing 10:53 and finishing as a –1. He played two more games before being reassigned to the AHL. On July 2, 2016, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues, effectively returning to the Chicago Wolves. He led the AHL in scoring as a defenceman through 23 games, was recalled by the Blues, and after 9 games was placed on waivers on January 16, 2017. He was claimed the following day by the Nashville Predators. On July 1, 2017, he signed a two-year, one-way contract with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. On January 21, 2019, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild along with a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft in exchange for a fifth-round pick. He tallied 3 powerplay goals and 5 points in 29 games with the Wild.

Reader's Guide

Brad Hunt's career is notable for his journey as an undrafted defenceman who carved out a professional path through the AHL and into the NHL with seven different teams, including the Colorado Avalanche. His success at the collegiate level with Bemidji State, where he became the all-time leader in defenceman scoring and defenceman power play goals, demonstrated his offensive capabilities from the blue line. Despite being considered undersized for a defenseman, his hard slapshot—recorded at 99.5 mph in the AHL All-Star skills competition—became a defining attribute. His Cinderella run with Bemidji State to the 2009 Frozen Four as a 16th seed highlighted his ability to contribute to historic team achievements. In the professional ranks, his AHL All-Star selection in 2012–13 and his leading of the league in defenceman scoring early in the 2016–17 season underscored his offensive production. His NHL career included stints with the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche, reflecting his value as a depth defenceman. Internationally, he represented Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, winning a gold medal. His career exemplifies the path of an undrafted player who leveraged college success and AHL performance to earn NHL opportunities across multiple organizations.

Did You Know?

• Hunt was a member of the Burnaby Express team that won the 2006 Royal Bank Cup as Canadian junior A champions.
• He was twice named the team's Most Outstanding Defenceman during his junior career with the Burnaby Express.
• Hunt finished third in the Hardest Shot competition at the 2013 AHL All-Star skills competition with a 99.5 mph shot.