Dryden Hunt Bio
Dryden Hunt (born November 24, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Standing 183 cm tall and listed at 89 kg, Hunt has built his career on a combination of physical play and offensive contribution since turning professional in 2016. Over the course of his career, he has also represented the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Early Life and Background
Dryden Hunt was born on November 24, 1995, in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. Growing up in the Kootenay region, he was introduced to hockey at a young age and developed his game in the minor hockey ranks of western Canada. His early sporting life was shaped by the cold winters and strong amateur hockey tradition of British Columbia, which provided a natural pathway into competitive youth hockey.
Hunt played amateur junior hockey firstly with the Notre Dame Argos in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League before moving back to his native British Columbia with the Kootenay Ice of the British Columbia Hockey Major Midget League. These formative years allowed him to refine his two-way game and establish the physical identity that would later define his professional approach.
Path to Professional Hockey
From midget hockey, Hunt opted to pursue a major junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Regina Pats. During his fourth season with the club in 2014–15, Hunt was leading the Pats with 47 points in 37 games before he was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers on January 5, 2015. He played out the season contributing 36 points in 34 games.
Undrafted by an NHL club, Hunt opted to play his overage year in the WHL and was acquired by the Moose Jaw Warriors before the 2015–16 season on September 23, 2015. He continued to improve offensively, leading the Warriors and the WHL with 58 goals in 72 games. As an alternate captain, he completed the regular season with 116 points before suffering a second-round playoff exit with 16 points in 10 post-season games. He was selected as the WHL’s Player of the Year and earned a place on the East First All-Star Team.
Dryden Hunt Career
Early Career (2016–2018)
Hunt was signed as a free agent to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers of the NHL on March 2, 2016. He spent the majority of the 2016–17 season assigned to the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he scored 13 goals and 31 points. In February 2017, he was briefly demoted to the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL, appearing in two games and scoring two goals before returning to Springfield.
Assigned to Springfield to start the 2017–18 season, Hunt received his first recall to the Panthers after 13 games on November 9, 2017. He made his NHL debut with the Panthers in a 4–1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on November 10, 2017, and registered his first NHL point assisting on Jared McCann’s game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on November 27. After 11 games he was returned to Springfield, finishing the year with 23 goals and 46 points in 58 AHL games.
Florida Panthers Breakthrough (2018–2020)
Hunt began the 2018–19 season with the Thunderbirds but was recalled by Florida on November 19 and made his NHL season debut against the Ottawa Senators in a 7–5 victory, picking up his first point of the season by assisting on a Jared McCann first-period goal. He scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Jimmy Howard on March 10 in a 6–1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He finished the season with 51 AHL games and 31 NHL games, registering three goals and ten points at the top level.
He made the Panthers roster out of training camp to begin the 2019–20 season, but after 20 games with only four assists he was placed on waivers and assigned to the AHL. He appeared in 35 games with Springfield, scoring 13 goals and 29 points, and was recalled in February 2020 before suffering a lower-body injury. When play resumed for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hunt made his playoff debut in a best-of-five qualifying round versus the New York Islanders, appearing in two games.
Arizona Coyotes Era (2020–2021)
After his fourth season within the Panthers organization, Hunt was not tendered a qualifying offer by Florida, making him an unrestricted free agent. On October 10, 2020, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes. In the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, Hunt remained on the Coyotes taxi squad before making his debut in a 4–3 defeat to the St. Louis Blues on February 2, 2021, and scoring his first goal for Arizona against Ville Husso in a 5–4 loss to the Blues on February 13. He posted three goals and eight points through 26 games as the Coyotes missed the post-season.
New York Rangers Era (2021–2022)
On July 28, 2021, Hunt signed as a free agent to a two-year deal with the New York Rangers. He made his Rangers debut on opening night, featuring on the fourth line in a 5–1 defeat to the Washington Capitals on October 13, 2021. He made his 100th NHL appearance on November 5, 2021, in a 6–5 overtime defeat to the Edmonton Oilers, before registering his first goal with the Rangers in a 2–1 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 18, 2021. One of the Rangers leaders in hits, he recorded a career-high three assists on March 12, 2022, in a 7–4 victory over the Dallas Stars, finishing with career highs of 76 games, 6 goals, 11 assists and 17 points. He went scoreless in three playoff appearances as the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals.
Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs Era (2022–2023)
Hunt began the 2022–23 season with one goal in three games before he was placed on waivers by the Rangers on October 19, 2022, and was claimed the following day by the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. He made his Avalanche debut on October 21, 2022, and registered his first point and goal with Colorado in his 15th appearance, helping the Avalanche to a 4–1 win over the Dallas Stars on November 26, 2022. After 25 appearances, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Denis Malgin on December 19, 2022.
With Toronto, he scored his first goal for the Maple Leafs against the Florida Panthers on January 17, 2023. After nine appearances, he was waived and re-assigned to AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies on January 23, playing 15 games and scoring four goals and nine points.
Calgary Flames Era (2023–Present)
On March 3, 2023, the Maple Leafs traded Hunt to the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Radim Zohorna, and he was directly re-assigned to the Calgary Wranglers for the remainder of the season. As a free agent, Hunt re-signed with Calgary on a two-year, two-way contract on July 2. He made the Flames roster out of training camp to begin the 2023–24 season, but after going pointless in four games he was placed on waivers on November 7 and assigned to the Wranglers after going unclaimed. He was recalled on February 16, 2024, and scored his first goal with the Flames on February 24 against Stuart Skinner in a 6–3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. He finished the season with 28 NHL games and 23 AHL games, putting up seven goals and 22 points for the Wranglers.
Driving Style and Strengths
Dryden Hunt is best known for combining an abrasive, physical forechecking style with reliable secondary scoring. Listed at 183 cm and 89 kg, he uses his frame to win board battles and lead his team in hits, while his WHL pedigree, which included a 58-goal season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, demonstrates a genuine finishing touch around the net. Coaches have frequently deployed him in a bottom-six energy role, though his career-high three-assist game with the Rangers showed that he can also produce offence when elevated in the line-up.
Notable Events and Milestones
Hunt’s career has been defined by a series of notable firsts, including his NHL debut on November 10, 2017, his first NHL goal against Jimmy Howard on March 10, 2019, and his 100th NHL appearance on November 5, 2021. He was a member of the 2019–20 Florida Panthers team that returned to playoff hockey during the COVID-19 pandemic restart and reached the playoffs with the New York Rangers in 2022. In junior, he earned WHL Player of the Year honours in 2015–16 after leading the league in goals.
Dryden Hunt Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Dryden Hunt’s family background is limited. He was raised in Cranbrook, British Columbia, where his early hockey development took place, and he played his minor hockey in both Saskatchewan and British Columbia before pursuing a major junior career.
Personal Life
Hunt is a Canadian national who has spent the majority of his professional career based in the cities of his various NHL and AHL clubs. Verified details regarding his marital status, spouse or children are not publicly available.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 season, Dryden Hunt is signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Calgary Flames that runs through the 2024–25 campaign. After a 2023–24 season split between the Flames and the Wranglers, in which he recorded three goals and eight points in 28 NHL games and seven goals and 22 points in 23 AHL games, Hunt is expected to compete for a regular bottom-six role in Calgary’s line-up. His combination of physicality, penalty-killing reliability and proven AHL scoring makes him a strong candidate to rotate between the Wranglers and the Flames depending on team needs.
The Flames’ 2024–25 outlook centres on continued growth for their younger core, with veterans like Hunt providing a steadying physical presence and leadership in the locker room. His track record of producing offence at the AHL level, including a 22-point campaign in 2023–24, gives the organization confidence that he can deliver offence if recalled. With his contract year approaching, Hunt has added motivation to cement an NHL role and contribute to Calgary’s push up the standings.