Big game Hunter
Drew Hunter is quickly making up for lost time.
The 19-year-old defenceman missed the first 17 games of the season with a freak knee injury, but has been one of the Niagara IceDogs most consistent performers since returning to the lineup.
Hunter, who picked up 10 points all of last season, has already collected eight points in his first 12 games to go along with a plus-five rating.
“I’m pretty happy, but I’m still not 100 per cent,” Hunter said. “I got better over the summer so it was really frustrating because of all the improvements I made. I was ready to go but I had to wait a little bit.
“The coaches have shown confidence in me with. I’m getting good ice, so hopefully I have improved.”
Hunter, a 19-year-old Michigan native, worked hard over the summer and had high expectations coming into the season.
But a day before he was to leave for training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hunter felt something pop in his knee during a drill in practice.
“I was skating in down the side and took a slap shot and dislocated my knee,” Hunter said. “It was a crazy injury. It hurt a lot and it was really frustrating at the time, but you just have to get better.”
Needless to say, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
“It was pretty frustrating. It was a very bad time for that injury but you just have to work through it. The trainer really helped me out with it but it was still tough dealing with the down time.”
Hunter worked overtime with IceDogs athletic therapist Peter Dobbin to get back into the lineup as soon as possible.
“I realized I had to do my own thing to get better and get back to help the guys out,” Hunter said. “I still felt part of the team because it’s my third year and I know most of the guys and stuff. We have a bunch of good guys so that helped out as well.”
IceDogs head coach Billy Burke has been more than happy with Hunter since his return to the line-up.
“I think he’s been outstanding,” Burke said. “Having him back in showed how much we missed him. He’s a big guy who is a veteran now. He has great offensive instincts.
“It’s almost like another great trade when he came back in.”
The IceDogs compiled a glut of defencemen over the summer and dealt Justin McPherson to the Kitchener Rangers before trading Billy Constantinou and Liam Hamm in separate deals during the season.
Those deals have given Hunter an even bigger role this season.
“It feels really good to be a guy like that,” Hunter said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and I was kind of expecting it this year with the good summer I had. That’s the way I was thinking. I was ready to go from the start.”
Burke feels Hunter is more than ready to take on an increased role.
“Maybe there were stretches and periods in the first two years where he was that spare defenceman, a six or seven, and in and out of the lineup. It’s not like that any more.
“His second half of last season and into the first half of this season he has proven to be a very valuable part of this club. We’re going to need big minutes from him for the rest of the season.”
Hunter is enjoying the IceDogs’ start and is looking forward to making a long run in the playoffs.
“It’s really exciting. We got a little bit of a taste for that last year in the playoffs. I would say anything less than winning the Eastern Conference would be a disappointment for us.”
The IceDogs, who are tied with the Sudbury Wolves atop the Central Division with 40 points, have a busy final week before the Christmas break with home games Thursday versus Hamilton and Saturday versus Oshawa around a road game Friday in London.
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