Three Likely Available Defensemen For The Washington Capitals To Draft
By CJ Witt
Daemon Hunt
On the NHL.com rankings Hunt is ranked 25th on North American skaters, and is the 7th ranked defenseman. TSN and Bob McKenzie has him ranked 44th and Corey Pronmon has him going 45th overall. This could be the move down or move up situation. However, when reading about him compared to other defensive prospects I liked him more than I liked the higher ranked guys.
Hunt stands at 6′ and weighs in at 198lbs. Already a pretty good size at age eighteen.
Hunt is a good skater with good speed. He has good acceleration which allows him to reach his good speed quickly. Thanks to his speed he can join the rush or pinch in the offensive zone and still get back to play D.
He’s good offensively, either by starting a transition or by joining a rush. He can help in the offensive zone with good passing, but has a good shot as well. His good skating helps here as well as he can walk the line looking for shooting lanes or passes.
Hunt is good defensively as well. He has good gap control which helps in 1 on 1 situations. He’s able to force plays to the outside and force bad angle shots. He uses his stick well to cover passing lanes or to knock the pucks off of opponents sticks. He uses physicality to fight off the cycle game, but he’s not an overly physical defensemen, opting for the smart play rather than physical play.
Hunt had a bit of a rough season. This rough season was highlighted by a freak injury that he got in December then came back a couple of months later just to have the season cut short due to Covid-19. Both of those possibly negatively affecting his rankings.
High hockey IQ, possibly a solid two way game and could be a solid top four defensemen if his development goes well. My favorite reports from Ben Kerr says his play style is comparable to a Ryan Suter. That’s just play style, not a comparison or what he could become.
Maybe not the flashiest prospect, and again, it could be a trade down option if you want him. But if you can get him, at any point of the draft it could be a steal.