The Minnesota Wild announced that they’ve signed goaltender Hunter Jones to a three-year, entry-level contract. Jones played for the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season.
NEWS: #mnwild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the club has signed goaltender Hunter Jones to a three-year, entry-level contract.
More information: https://t.co/zK4MgQDWX6 pic.twitter.com/SQGYnWDKGm
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 26, 2020
Wild Ink Hunter Jones
Jones posted a 31-14-3 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and four shutouts in 49 games this season. The 19-year-old ranked second in the OHL in shutouts, fourth in wins and GAA and fifth in SV%. Jones stopped 97 of 99 shots faced in his last three starts.
He was named the OHL Goaltender of the Month in October and played for Team OHL in the 2019 CIBC Canada Russia Series.
During the 2018-19 season, Jones went 28-24-4 with a 3.31 GAA, a .902 SV% and three shutouts in 57 games. He was tied for second in the OHL in games played, tied for sixth in shutouts and tied for ninth in wins. Jones has a career record of 62-47-7 with a 3.31 GAA, a .901 SV% and seven shutouts in 121 games in three seasons in the OHL. The Wild selected Jones in the second round, 59th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Moving Forward
At just 19-years-old, Jones has time to mature and gain experience before being brought up to the NHL. The Wild have five goaltenders in their system so being able to take their time with Jones’s development is a plus.
He will likely spend another year in the juniors before being called up to the professional level. At 6-foot-4, Jones is a larger goalie who can move well and has strong potential. Because of that, he was the first of two goalies selected by the Wild in the 2019 draft.
The Wild’s current goaltenders, Devan Dubnyk, 33, and Alex Stalock, 32, are both under contract for the next few years. However, Dubnyk is set to become a free agent after the 2021-22 season and Stalock after the 2022-23 season. As a result, Jones will likely take the reigns after that.
As a second-round draft pick who has already had success at the junior level, the organization should feel confident in Jones moving forward.
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