Nelson’s Dryden Hunt is now an NHL player.
Hunt was recalled Thursday by the Florida Panthers. He’ll make his debut Friday against the Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y.
He started the season with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, where he had five goals and three assists in 13 games to start the season.
The 21-year-old signed an entry-level deal with the Panthers in March 2016. Hunt was never drafted, but caught the eye of several teams with his 2015-16 WHL season in which he was named the league’s MVP while playing for the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Related: Late Bloomer: Dryden Hunt’s dream season
He spent all of last season in Springfield where he finished with 13 goals and 18 assists in 70 games.
Hunt’s call-up makes him the first Nelson native to play in the NHL since Geoff Kinrade played one game for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009.
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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