The Hershey Bears announced they have signed AHL All-Star defenseman Brad Hunt to a one-year contract on Friday. Hunt is a huge addition to Hershey’s 2024-25 roster as they look to threepeat as Calder Cup champions.
Hunt, 35, has played for seven different NHL teams since departing Bemidji State University in 2012. He has spent the past two seasons with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, leading the team in scoring last year with 49 points (16g, 33a) from 70 games.
We've signed all-star defenseman Brad Hunt to an AHL contract for the 2024-25 season.
The veteran led the Colorado Eagles with 49 points last season and was a AHL First All-Star Team member. Welcome, Huntsy!
📰 https://t.co/MuXBZFA5sq pic.twitter.com/rB9pCkHrQQ
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) August 2, 2024
Hunt has 288 games of NHL experience under his belt, last playing 47 games for the Colorado Avalanche during the 2022-23 campaign. His personal-best season came with the Minnesota Wild in 2019-20 where he amassed 19 points (8g, 11a) in 59 games. He has played for the Avalanche, Wild, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, and Edmonton Oilers.
The Maple Ridge, BC native has long been a star at the AHL level. Hunt was selected to the 2023-24 AHL First All-Star Team after ranking second in scoring among all AHL defenders (49 points) and tying for the league lead in goals (16) by a rearguard. He has been named to the AHL All-Star Classic five times since 2023.
Hunt is also familiar with Bears head coach Todd Nelson as he played for Nelson as a member of the Oklahoma City Barons from 2013-15. In the 2013-14 campaign, Hunt had 50 points (11g, 39a) and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team.
The former BCHL junior standout has also represented Canada internationally, winning a gold medal for his country at the 2023 World Championship. In 10 games at the tournament, Hunt recorded three assists.
Hershey now has 11 defensemen with AHL contracts for next season. Hunt joins Hardy Häman Aktell and Aaron Ness as the top left-handed options on the roster.
Here’s the press release from the Bears:
BEARS SIGN ALL-STAR DEFENSEMAN BRAD HUNT TO AHL CONTRACT
Hershey lands elite offensive defenseman who led the Colorado Eagles in points last season as team captain
(Hershey, PA – August 2, 2024) – The 2024 Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed defenseman Brad Hunt to an American Hockey League contract for the 2024-25 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.
Hunt, 35, led the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in scoring with 49 points (16g, 33a) in 70 games last season while serving as team captain. The Ridge Meadows, British Columbia native was selected to the 2023-24 AHL First All-Star Team. He ranked second in the league in scoring for defenders, and tied for the league lead among goals by a blue liner and was selected as the Eagles’ IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year for his work in the local community. He recorded 18 power play points, including five goals on the man-advantage.
The 5’9″, 176-pound veteran split time in 2022-23 with the Eagles and the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche. With the Eagles, he compiled 21 points (7g, 14a) in just 24 games. In his accomplished AHL career, Hunt played in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2013, 2015, and 2016. He was also named to the All-Star Classic in 2017 and 2023, but he was unavailable for those events.
Hunt played for Hershey head coach Todd Nelson as a member of the Oklahoma City Barons from 2013-15. In the 2013-14 campaign, Hunt had 50 points and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team. The following year, he scored 51 points and earned AHL Second All-Star Team honors. He’s recorded 279 points (90g, 199a) in 381 career AHL games with Chicago, Oklahoma City, Bakersfield, and Colorado. A total of 38 of his goals have come on the power play. He’s also posted 19 points (6g, 13a) in 23 career Calder Cup Playoff games.
The Bemidji State product has played parts of 10 seasons in the NHL, including when he logged personal bests for the Minnesota Wild in the 2019-20 season, scoring 19 points (8g, 11a) in 59 games. He’s skated in 288 career NHL games for Edmonton, St. Louis, Nashville, Vegas, Minnesota, Vancouver, and Colorado, scoring 86 points (26g, 60a).
Hunt represented Canada in the 2023 IIHF World Championship, recording three assists in 10 games and winning a gold medal for his country.
