Minnesota Wild sign prospect Hunter Haight to three-year entry-level contract

The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Hunter Haight to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

The move comes a day after the club signed Caedan Bankier to his own entry-level contract. Both deals will kick in for 2023-24.

Haight, 18, was a second-round pick by the Wild in 2022. After starting off slow with Barrie this year, he was sent to Saginaw, where he has managed to spend some time with 2025 draft star Michael Misa. Haight has 14 goals and 36 points through 33 games while playing a significant role for a Saginaw team that will look to make some noise in the post-season.

Haight, like most recent OHL prospects, lost the entire 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 shutdowns. That meant he wasn’t allowed to build upon an impressive U-16 season that led to him being drafted ninth overall, but he was able to put up 22 goals and 41 points as a rookie with the Colts. This year, though, he’ll break the 50-point barrier.

A crafty stickhandler, Haight is one of the more creative forwards in Minnesota’s system. He can use his speed in bursts to beat a defenseman, and then has multiple different options to get the job done after that.

The Wild have one of the best prospect pools in the league, highlighted by goaltender Jesper Walsltedt and forward Liam Ohgren. Haight is near the top, so it’ll be interesting to see how he progresses with another year of major junior.