| Arizona Republic
Dryden Hunt made the drive to Arizona from Calgary late last month, and was hoping to join his new Arizona Coyotes teammates on the ice for voluntary workouts at Gila River Arena as soon as this weekend.
The former Florida Panther enjoyed the natural wonders of the Valley with some outdoor exploring while he awaited the day he can report for something other than COVID tests and a physical.
His first foray into NHL free agency saw Hunt, who just turned 25 and has 63 games of NHL regular season experience plus two postseason games over the past three seasons, approached by the Coyotes after free agency had begun. The Panthers didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Hunt, so he became an unrestricted free agent.
“I just felt comfortable with it. They were the first team that reached out, and I respected that,” Hunt said. “They’ve got a good young team here and I just wanted to do everything I could to be a part of that.”
Hunt took note of the other players new general manager Bill Armstrong signed, reviewed the Coyotes roster and began to think about where he might fit in. Every new guy to a team can read between the lines to see what roles might be available, and Hunt feels he found a role at the NHL level that fits with his new team.
“I know my role in this league, and I know what I’m going to try and bring with my energy, my shot, trying to take the load off the top guys a little bit,” Hunt said. “I’m just going to have to come into camp and kind of fight for that spot. There’s lots of good young guys in the system, too, so it’s going to be a battle for sure.”
Voluntary offseason workouts are Hunt’s chance to get more familiar with teammates and learn their tendencies. Training camp, which is yet to be determined as the league and its players association work toward an agreement on when the new season can begin, is where Hunt hopes to make a strong enough impression to start the season with the Coyotes.
Hunt’s one-year, two-way contract he signed pays him both NHL and AHL salaries, depending on if he’s with the Coyotes or playing in Tucson with the Roadrunners. Hunt split time with the Panthers and AHL Springfield (Mass.) Thunderbirds the past three seasons.
“They’ve got lots of young and skilled players up and down the lineup,” Hunt said of the Coyotes. “I’ve also heard nothing but great things about the guys. They’ve got six pretty solid guys that can play on ‘D,’ so that has a recipe for success.”
Hunt enjoys playing fast and physical, and brought up his head coach, Rick Tocchet, when describing his game.
“He played hard and physical and was in your face, and that’s just kind of what I want to bring to this team,” Hunt said. That seems to be in line with the type of players Armstrong brought in to the forward group as free agents, Tyler Pitlick, Johan Larsson and John Hayden.
Hunt’s value to the Coyotes could come in the form of adjusted rosters, a possibility with a condensed schedule sure to be in place for the upcoming season. Should Hunt not start the season on the NHL roster, he could be called upon at least a few times from Tucson to suit up for Coyotes games with quick turnarounds.
Hunt’s early days in hockey were spent in the Western Hockey League, playing in Medicine Hat (Alberta), Regina and Moose Jaw (Saskatchewan). His last season of five in the prospect-rich WHL was in Moose Jaw for 2015-2016, where he scored 58 goals including six hat tricks, adding 58 assists on his way to being named the league’s Player of the Year.
That season helped him get an entry-level deal with the Panthers, and Hunt was on his way to the pros. He played on the same Moose Jaw scoring line as current Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Point, and his production skyrocketed.
Hunt more than tripled his points total from the previous season, and suddenly NHL doors opened.
“Before that year I was thinking about different Canadian universities to go to, and during that season and after I had contract offers from NHL teams. So it was a bit of a 180 for me,” Hunt said.
MORE: Arizona Coyotes add Johan Larsson, two others on second day of NHL free agency
Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.