ST. PAUL, Minn - Training camp and preseason games are a great chance for players to make a good impression and push for spots. It is especially important for the younger players and prospects to showcase their skills.
For the second straight year, Hunter Haight is doing just that.
Haight, 21, impressed in last year's training camp and preseason. Following that he played his rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild.
In his rookie season, Haight recorded 20 goals and 14 assists in 67 games. In the opening preseason game of the year, Haight was the team's fourth line center. Caedan Bankier, Ben Jones and Danila Yurov were ahead of him.
With three minutes left in that game Haight game flying in on the right side before scoring his first goal of the preseason.
HUNTER HAIGHT TIES IT pic.twitter.com/yYEtnGw3c4
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 21, 2025
For his second preseason game of the year, Haight was on the third line as the center. He played great against Dallas and was the team's second line center on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With the goalie pulled and down two goals, the Wild had Haight on the ice. He was on the ice over Yurov and seemly has been impressing the Wild.
"Yeah, I thought he's had a strong camp," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Sunday. "He's got good hockey sense. I think his competitiveness jumps out at you. He's been able to produce in a couple games and he seems like a pretty versatile player. He's a right-shot center and he's done a pretty good job on the penalty kill. He's had some power play time too, so he's done well."
On Sunday Haight picked up his second goal of the preseason after he finished off his own rebound. Tyler Pitlick made a nice pass to Haight who was streaking in. It was the Wild's only goal on Sunday.
HUNTER HAIGHT pic.twitter.com/SoMcuib1ks
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) September 28, 2025
The 5-foot-11 center has impressed the Wild enough to possibly make the team but that opportunity could actually become a reality. Yurov has been given a lot of chances in the preseason. He has centered Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko for a few shifts and has been on the top power play and penalty kill for every game.
On Sunday those spots were given to Haight. He dropped to the third line and went 2-for-8 on the face-off dot. Haight went 4-for-6 on the dot and had 15 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time.
"Yeah, he's put himself in a position to continue to compete for a spot," Hynes said of Haight after the game.
Nico Sturm was signed this offseason to be the Wild's fourth line center but has now missed some time in camp due to an upper-body injury. His status remains unclear if he will be ready to start the season.
Hynes said after the game on Sunday that Sturm's timetable is a moving target. He said they want to get Sturm into a full hour long practice before coming up with how long he will be out for, if any time.
Sturm could respond really well to that practice and be ready to go or he could miss a little bit of time to start the season. This could open a spot for Haight.
"At the end of the day, that's why I'm here, is to try to find a roster spot and every day try and get better," Haight said after the game on Sunday. "I think I've progressed throughout this camp."
Nonetheless, Haight has impressed the Wild and will continue to push for a spot as training camp begins to wind down.
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'There’s Nothing To Gain Everything To Lose': Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold Talks Kirill Kaprizov ContractST. PAUL, Minn - In his annual media interview in the suite, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold opened up by saying he was not going to talk on the Kirill Kaprizov contract situation.
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- Marc-Andre Fleury Signs Professional Tryout With The Pittsburgh Penguins.
When Ottawa Senators prospect Stephen Halliday arrives at a new level, he seems to figure things out quickly. At every level he moves up to — whether it's the USHL, the NCAA, or the AHL — he's found a way to not only stick with the club, but to thrive, moving quickly to the top of his team's scoring list. That's part of what makes the 23-year-old forward so intriguing as he pushes toward the NHL.
Halliday doesn’t come with the prospect status of, say, a Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators’ 2024 first-round pick. But he's not far off. With his size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and skill, he checks off a lot of boxes, and he's also got a history of quickly figuring things out at each level.
Back in 2021–22, a few months shy of his 20th birthday, Halliday put up 95 points in 62 games for the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. But because he was an older junior player who had been passed over in two NHL drafts, those were red flags. The Senators' scouting still liked him, though, and by the fourth round of the 2022 draft, they decided to book some Halliday time.
Halliday went on to lead Ohio State in scoring for two straight seasons, then did the same in his first full year with Belleville last season, collecting 51 points in 71 games. Each time he’s climbed a rung, he’s found a way to adjust, then take over.
Now, the biggest challenge lies ahead: carving out a place in the NHL.
Halliday gave fans a glimpse of that potential on Sunday afternoon in Quebec City, when the Senators blanked the New Jersey Devils 2–0 in preseason action. With the game scoreless late in the third period, he broke through with a perfectly placed snap shot that beat Devils goalie Georgi Romanov high to the glove side.
“Yeah, Timmy kind of drove the middle, and I was just kind of trying to be there if there was a rebound. And then a guy poked it to me, and then I just kind of shot it.”
Halliday's Late Power Play Goal Leads Ottawa Senators Past Devils 2-0The Ottawa Senators improved their preseason record to 2–1 on Sunday afternoon with a 2–0 victory over a New Jersey Devils split-squad at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
Halliday made it sound like a lucky shot, and maybe it was. But his release was quick and decisive, the kind of finish NHL coaches notice. That said, Senators head coach Travis Green is always careful not to give a player too much public praise.
“He’s a smart player," head coach Travis Green said after the game. "He’s got good hands. He’s big. He’s got good hockey sense.
If you sensed a 'but' coming, you'd be right.
"He’s still adapting to the pace of the league. He’s had a few days where he’s tired. But he’s hanging in there.”
Green’s message was clear: there’s still work to be done. Halliday is aware of that, but right now, he says he feels great.
“I feel like I am making more plays, more confident," Halliday said. "The D-zone, I think, was a big thing for me, just making sure I’m strong on pucks. I’ve been working on that a lot and just kind of taking it day by day. So I’m really happy with my game so far.”
Halliday is still a little shy when the microphones come out, but after Sunday’s win, he lit up when talking about Thomas Chabot, who suited up in his hometown region of Quebec City.
“Yeah, you can just see how cool the city is, and he's been showing us around and taking us to cool spots, and we went golfing on his golf course on our off day. So it means a lot for a guy like me who's just coming up here.
"So it was really cool and we're really happy to get that (win) for Chabby."
Looks like we can check off the "great teammate" box as well.
Halliday's rise to the next level might not happen this fall, but his day is coming. And if the Sens decide to let him cook some more at the AHL level, he's going to be a handful down there, and a nightmare for opposing goalies.
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