Brad Hunt’s hockey career has come to an end.
The NHL Alumni Association said Tuesday that the 37-year-old former Edmonton Oilers defenceman has retired from professional hockey. Hunt, a 5-foot-9 blueliner, first reached the NHL when he signed an entry-level deal with Edmonton in July 2013.
His time with the Oilers stretched across three seasons beginning in 2013-14, though most of that run came in the minors. Hunt played 185 games with the organization’s AHL teams in Oklahoma City and Bakersfield, putting up 43 goals and 142 points. He also got into 21 NHL games for Edmonton over those three years, scoring one goal and three points.
After leaving the Oilers, Hunt kept moving from stop to stop. He signed with the St.
Louis Blues for the 2016-17 season, was later claimed on waivers by the Nashville Predators, then joined the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2017. In January 2019, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
The later stages of his career took him to the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, and he served as captain of the Colorado Eagles, their AHL affiliate, in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. He then spent a year with the AHL Hershey Bears before playing last season for Sport in the Finnish Elite League.
Across his pro career, Hunt logged 422 AHL games with 84 goals and 298 points, along with 288 NHL games and 26 goals and 86 points. The Maple Ridge, B.C. native also won gold for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.
On Instagram, Hunt reflected on what hockey meant to him, saying: “Hockey has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Hunt shared on his Instagram. “From dreaming about playing in the NHL as a kid, to living that dream for so many years … I am incredibly grateful for every opportunity, every teammate, every coach, every organization, and every person who helped me along the way.”
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