He\u2019s out long-term<\/a>, and Hunter was next man up.<\/p>\n\u201c(Hendricks) said, \u2018Turn around and head to Minnesota,’\u201d Steve said. \u201c\u2018You\u2019ve got your call.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Haight called his parents to let them know, then former teammates and coaches, like Saginaw\u2019s Chris Lazary, who watched the NHL debut at home with his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo happy for him,\u201d Lazary said. \u201cHe\u2019s earned everything he\u2019s got.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haight spent two years with OHL Saginaw, helping lead the team to the Memorial Cup championship in 2024. Lazary was most impressed with how diligently and unselfishly Haight developed from a top-line scorer into a responsible, third-line, two-way center.<\/p>\n
And Haight\u2019s advice to his coach at a pivotal moment during that Cup season sparked their run.<\/p>\n
The Spirit had lost six of seven in late October. Lazary was stressed and felt he might have been taking it out too much on the team. He saw Haight walking down the hallway by his office and called him in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the truth,\u201d Lazary said. \u201cDo you think I\u2019m being too negative?\u201d<\/p>\n
Haight told him he understood how badly Lazary wanted to win. Then he thought back to a memory of his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talked with my dad about it, and he\u2019s special forces,\u201d Haight told Lazary. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018You know, if we don\u2019t all attack a situation together and if we\u2019re not all positive, we can\u2019t get the outcome.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Lazary was blown away. He relaxed a little bit and preached togetherness through the struggles. The team won 10 in a row after that. He\u2019d think about that talk with Haight at any tense moment down the stretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to have that conversation with your coach,\u201d Lazary said. \u201cA lot of guys would just say, \u2018Oh no, we\u2019re good.\u2019 He had enough gumption to tell the truth and be honest. \u2026 It struck a chord where it changed and kind of calmed everybody down. We went on a big run, and every time we were going to get worked up or get negative, I would look at Hunts and it would remind me of that story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lazary and his staff gave Haight a letter for many reasons. His mature approach and infectious work ethic. How clean and tidy he\u2019d keep his gear when others were messy. How coachable he was. Lazary recalled a moment during that championship season when he talked with Haight about adjusting his role to a checking line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018We need you to score, but I also need a guy I can trust to put out on the ice,’\u201d Lazary said. \u201cAnd Hunts, he never blinked an eye. He always just wanted to win so bad. He\u2019s just like, \u2018What do you need?\u2019 In junior, the high-end guys, they\u2019re not as easy to deal with all the time like he was, and I always appreciated that about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Spirit had their share of high-end guys, including Zayne Parekh (taken No. 9 by the Calgary Flames in 2024) and Michael Misa (No. 2 by the San Jose Sharks this year). Lazary had Misa and Haight room together with the same billet family so Haight could show Misa \u201chow to be a pro.\u201d Misa, one of the rare players to be given exceptional player status from Hockey Canada, was taken under Haight\u2019s wing.<\/p>\n
\u201cCopy him,\u201d Lazary told Misa.<\/p>\n
Haight\u2019s coach in Iowa, Brett McLean, said the rookie acted like a pro from the day he arrived in Des Moines. He could tell by how Haight attacked drills and how open he was to improving in areas like faceoffs. Haight quickly earned the trust of the staff to play in all situations. He also scored 20 goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cCredit to my mom and dad, how they raised me,\u201d Haight said. \u201cIt was always about effort and attitude, going into everything with a good mindset. Coming into last year, it was learn and take everything in, and attack in the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haight has worked out in the summers with the likes of Boone Jenner, Jordan Kyrou and Horvat. There were more heralded prospects in the Wild\u2019s training camp, including first-round picks Danila Yurov and Liam Ohgren. But while Ohgren and Yurov were given every chance to earn a top-six spot, their camps were relatively underwhelming. They both made the team, but Haight made the biggest impression.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2237668700-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n Hunter Haight (left) impressed teammates and coaches with his preseason play. (Bailey Hillesheim \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a naturally competitive player,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cHe\u2019s got good hockey sense. He\u2019s come back a bit stronger \u2014 that physical maturity. The work he put in, he looked like a young player that wasn\u2019t in training camp to be in training camp. He was at training camp with a fire in his eyes to be able to compete for a spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Sturm expected to miss significant time and potentially needing surgery, Haight could be here a while. His parents are making the trip to Minnesota to catch home games Saturday and Monday before returning to Ontario. They\u2019ll stay in the same hotel as Haight, near the Mall of America.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever been there,\u201d Amy said.<\/p>\n
Haight, for now, is along for the ride. Asked what he\u2019d remember most about Thursday\u2019s debut, he smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a great feeling, to finally play in that game,\u201d Haight said. \u201cTo be part of the NHL officially. Just carry this momentum and build off it so I can stay up here.\u201d<\/p>\n