Nelson's Dryden Hunt caps amazing Junior career with WHL Player of the Year award
By Nelson Daily Staff
And the awards just keep on coming for Nelson Minor Hockey grad and Moose Jaw Warriors sniper Dryden Hunt.
Hunt, who beat out Western Conference and Victoria Royals defenceman Joe Hicketts, was crowned with the WHL’s highest honour Wednesday in Calgary when he was handed the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league’s player of the year.
Hunt was the Eastern Conference Four Broncos Memorial Trophy winner.
The WHL’s top honour completed the storybook season for the 20-year-old forward, who was passed over in the 2010 WHL bantam draft.
The 6-foot, 200-pound left-winger finished the regular season with league-high 58 goals while playing all 72 regular-season games in his final junior campaign.
Hunt finished second to Adam Brooks of the Regina Pats in the WHL scoring race with 116.
Hunt recorded five hat tricks in the month of February and has six on the season. He was named WHL player of the month for January and player of the week in February.
Before scoring 58 times this season, Hunt’s best season came in 2014 when he registered 21 goals.
Over his WHL career, Hunt scored 117 goals, had 132 assists for 249 points in 269 games.
After being passed over in the bantam draft, Hunt found a home with Regina Pats for three plus seasons before begin traded to Medicine Hat Tigers midway through the 29014-15 season.
Moose Jaw acquired Hunt before the start of the 2015-16 WHL season.
Hunt, who attended off-season development camps in Carolina and Montreal, was also passed over in the NHL entry draft before landing an entry-level deal with Florida Panthers in March of this year.
Hunts parents, Carla DeBiasio and Jeff Hunt, were in Calgary for the awards presentation.
Check out the YouTube link of the award ceremony.
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