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At the beginning of this season, the St. Louis Blues made a signing that flew under a lot of people’s noses. They signed a no-name defenseman, one who had only played in 21 NHL games prior, and only had three points in those 21. The defenseman they signed was 27 year old Brad Hunt. It was his first offseason as a unrestricted free agent, and he was given a one-year two-way contract by the Blues. While in the NHL, the contract offers 600k.
A relatively cheap player to sign, Hunt was supposed to stay in the AHL all season, helping out the young D core the Blues have there. However, after scoring a league leading 29 points in 23 games, he was given some attention by the club. He was called up on November 2, but didn’t see any game time after Petteri Lindbohm was chosen to replace the hurt Robert Bortuzzo. Hunt was sent back down only two days later. However, just over a month later, Bortuzzo was hurt again. Hunt was called back up on December 8, and this time he actually got to play. His first NHL game with the Blues was the following day, and he played the New Jersey Devils. It didn’t even take the 28 year old two minutes to register his first point with the team, after a nice feed to Robby Fabbri led to a beautiful goal. The next game, Hunt had another assist on a goal scored by Tarasenko. It took him just three games to score his first goal in a Blues jersey, and it came on the powerplay. Running an umbrella power play, Hunt had plenty of open ice and fired a bullet of a shot past Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators. He’s staying in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, and rightfully so.
Although he’s definitely earned his spot, having three points in three games and contributing heavily on defense, it’s still a little bit of a surprise to see him in the Blues lineup. Amongst the healthy scratches in the Blues latest game was Carl Gunnarsson. Gunnarsson has been in and out of the lineup with injury, but has been healthy enough to play the past few games. Instead, Hunt has been playing in his second line spot; rightfully so, too. He’s played 20 more games than Hunt, but Hunt has managed to get more points than him already. Gunnarsson currently sits on two assists, and that’s why he’s been replaced by Hunt. Although his return to the lineup soon isn’t completely out of the picture, it’s not as likely as he’d hope. If he did return, it’s not likely it’d be in place of Hunt. Instead, he’d most likely take Joel Edmundson’s spot on the third pairing. Edmundson hasn’t been as hot either, only getting three points in 18 games so far, but he’s still looked more promising than Gunnarsson has.
Hunt wasn’t expected to even play in the NHL this season. He’s known for his strong AHL play though. In his latest season in the AHL he had 41 points, and the season before that he had 50. Most of these points were assists, and that’s what he was expected to bring to the Chicago Wolves this season. That’s exactly what he did, getting 20 in his 23 games with the Wolves. Overall, that’s what got him called up and that’s what will keep him there.
His high assist numbers come from a mix of things, but mainly his high hockey sense. That’s what has been highlighted in every game he’s played, and he’s shown it off in all the points he’s had so far. However, he’s also harnesses a lot of other strengths that have kept him in the league so far. For a defenseman, he’s shown off a lot of offensive knowledge. He’s also fairly quick and has a hard shot. The most impressive of them all would have to be his strength. One reason he hasn’t seen much NHL time is his size. He’s only 5’9” and only weighs 187 pounds. For an second-line NHL defenseman, that’s small. But it hasn’t held Hunt back from battling in the corners and going after the puck. He’s the shortest guy on the Blues roster, but has been just as effective as everyone else.
If he can keep up his impressive play, he’s almost guaranteed a solidified spot in the Blues lineup. Not only that, but just from this start he’s almost guaranteed himself another year to his contract, or at least attention from other teams. He shouldn’t have much trouble finding a contract next season, unless he falls off. Even then, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get picked up by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Regardless of next season, with three points in three games he’s definitely made a name for himself and opened up a lot of opportunities for himself.
