Dryden Hunt
Undrafted forward who debuted and scored first NHL goal with Florida.
Last updated
Dryden Hunt (born November 24, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) over parts of three seasons. He made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2017 and scored his first NHL goal with the team in 2019.
Lore & Background
Hunt played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Regina Pats, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Moose Jaw Warriors. In his overage season with Moose Jaw, he led the WHL with 58 goals and 116 points, earning league Player of the Year honors. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers as a free agent on March 2, 2016. Hunt spent most of his first professional season with the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, and also appeared in two ECHL games with the Manchester Monarchs.
He made his NHL debut with Florida on November 10, 2017, in a 4–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres, and recorded his first NHL point on November 27, 2017, assisting on Jared McCann's game-winning goal against the New Jersey Devils. Hunt scored his first NHL goal on March 10, 2019, against goaltender Jimmy Howard in a 6–1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He finished the 2018–19 season with 31 games for Florida, totaling three goals and ten points. After the 2019–20 season, the Panthers did not tender him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Reader's Guide
Dryden Hunt's tenure with the Florida Panthers marked the beginning of his NHL career, as an undrafted free agent who worked his way from the WHL to the professional ranks. He debuted with the Panthers in 2017 and scored his first NHL goal with the team in 2019, contributing as a depth forward.
His time in Florida included assignments to the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds and a brief ECHL stint, reflecting his development path. After four seasons in the Panthers organization, he was not tendered a qualifying offer, leading to subsequent NHL stops with the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames. Hunt's career illustrates the trajectory of an undrafted player who earned NHL opportunities through minor league production and physical play.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2009–10 | Notre Dame Argos | SMHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Kootenay Ice | BCMML | 40 | 19 | 28 | 47 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Trail Smoke Eaters | BCHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Regina Pats | WHL | 62 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2012–13 | Regina Pats | WHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Regina Pats | WHL | 62 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 64 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2014–15 | Regina Pats | WHL | 37 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 34 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| 2015–16 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 58 | 58 | 116 | 48 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 8 |
| 2016–17 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 70 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Manchester Monarchs | ECHL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 58 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 51 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 31 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 35 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 26 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | New York Rangers | NHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 15 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL | 17 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| 2023–24 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 28 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023–24 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL | 23 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL | 49 | 16 | 33 | 49 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025–26 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL | 52 | 18 | 45 | 63 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025–26 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 238 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 123 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| East First All-Star Team | 2016 | |
| Player of the Year | 2016 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Dryden Hunt (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
More in Florida Panthers Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dryden Hunt (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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