ST. PAUL, Minn. — For Hunter Haight, the moment finally came after a long wait. Despite the loss, in the Minnesota Wild’s (39-19-12) game against the Chicago Blackhawks (26-30-12).
Skating in just his sixth NHL game of the season, and his first in over two months, Haight recorded his first career NHL point. A milestone that every young player imagines long before it becomes reality.
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“Yeah, definitely something you dream of as a kid,” Haight said. “It’s nice to get the first one.”
The buildup to the moment wasn’t without its quirks. Haight joked that he avoided a tough morning skate bag skate after being informed of his call-up ahead of time.
Kirill Kaprizov was on the ice for morning skate, testing out his injury. He came off the ice and later told the staff he was not going to play. The Wild then let Haight know to get off the ice and that he would be playing.
“They actually let me know before that happened, so I was able to get off the ice,” he said with a smile.
Once the puck dropped, Haight didn’t look out of place. In addition to his first point, he put together a couple of strong shifts and even drew a penalty, small details that reflect growing confidence at the NHL level.
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Still, the milestone came in a losing effort, something Haight kept in perspective.
“I mean, I think we did a lot of good things,” he said. “At the end of the day, our chances didn’t go in and theirs did. Just move on to the next one.”
In the second period, he set up Nico Sturm for the goal, which put the Wild within one. It happeded to be the first ever point for the rookie in his second professional season.
“It’s great. Really happy for Hunter,” Wild head coach John Hynes said. “He’s developed his game. I think (Greg) Cronin and those guys have done a good job down there with him and you’ve seen progressive growth from him. This is basically the end of his second year pro. So, he looked quick, strong and confident. He was pretty good in the faceoff circle.”
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Haight’s mindset has been shaped during his time in the American Hockey League with Iowa, where Haight has spent the bulk of the last two seasons developing his game. While the numbers may not always jump off the page, the growth behind the scenes has been steady.
“Yeah, for sure, I think I’ve been developing these last two years pretty well,” Haight said. “The American League obviously helps with that. So, yeah, no, it’s good.”
For prospects like Haight, the AHL serves as a proving ground, a place to refine details, adjust to the pro pace and build the habits needed to stick at the NHL level.
His performance in this call-up, capped by that first point, is a sign that the development path is starting to translate.
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“You see that with young players, where they get opportunities, then they go back down,” Hynes said. “I think he’s put in some work. I think the coaching staff has done a good job with him, and it’s nice to see a young guy come up and play the way that he did. So, that’s good for him.”
It may have taken time to get back into the lineup, but for Haight, the first NHL point is now in the books and likely just the beginning.
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