Minnesota Wild sign Hunter Jones to one-year contract

The Minnesota Wild have signed goalie prospect Hunter Jones to a one-year contract worth $787,000 in the NHL, according to Michael Russo. The deal is two-way and carries a $70,000 salary in the minors.

Jones was the starting goalie for the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL, playing 38 games for them in 2022-23. He posted a record of 11-17-9 with a 3.07 GAA and .905 SV%. He was originally selected in the second-round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Wild. He was the fourth-highest goalie selection in 2019. The three goalies ahead of him, Spencer Knight, Pyotr Kochetkov, and Mads Sogaard, have all played NHL games to this point.

Right now, Jones is sitting behind Filip Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jesper Wallstedt, and Zane McIntyre on the Wild’s goaltending depth chart. Gustavsson is currently an RFA and is expected to be signed by the big club to an extension. Fleury has one year remaining on his contract but it is possible he could be moved as the Wild have a tough cap situation going into next year. However, as it stands at this point in time the road to the NHL for Jones is blocked by at least three big names.

Jones played for the Peterborough Petes in the OHL for his junior years. His save percentage year-over-year went from .866% to .902% and finally to .913% in the final year of junior. The 2019-20 Petes were poised for a potential Memorial Cup run when their season was cut short by COVID-19.

Over the last three seasons, Jones has spent most of his time with the Heartlanders but was able to play 29 games for the Iowa Wild, with a combined record of 11-15-3.

According to DobberHockey, Jones is “not likely to make an NHL impact for a few years, but Jones displays good reflexes, solid positioning and a good glove hand. If he continues to develop, with improved recovery and puck handling, Jones could challenge for a starting job one day in the NHL.”