Daemon Hunt is remaining positive despite missing the past month of action with a serious injury.
"It’s something that’s a first for me for this type of injury and it’s definitely a process, not just physically, mentally too, getting it through your head that you’re severally cut and it’s going to be a process to get back into things, Hunt said.
One month ago, Hunt went through something every hockey player hopes he never has to.
During a game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 3 at Rogers Arena, the Warriors’ defenceman was clearing the puck out of the team’s defensive zone when he was hit by an Oil Kings player and that players’ skate cut his arm.
"I didn’t really know what was going on, when I first looked down, we were in our white jerseys and there was blood pouring out of my arm and onto our uniforms," Hunt described.
"I was right by the bench, I got off the ice and [Warriors trainer] Brooke Kosolofski grabbed a towel and held it against my arm and we ran to the Oil Kings facility room because we weren’t sure how serious it was, if we hit an artery or whatever it may be."
Hunt credits Kosolofski and the Oil Kings’ medical staff for their quick work to make sure the situation was not any worse.
"I can’t thank them enough, they do their jobs so well and without them, I’d be in some trouble at the rink," Hunt said.
After a successful surgery, the 17-year-old NHL Draft eligible prospect is now on the mend and rejoined the team ahead of their weekend road trip to Alberta, which included a visit to Rogers Arena exactly a month after the incident.
Hunt says sitting on the sidelines has been a difficult experience so far, but one that he is learning to adapt to.
"It’s not easy, you can show your happiness on the outside, show everyone that you’re happy, but on the inside, you can be really depressed about not being able to get on the ice and doing what you love to do," Hunt said. "I’m just staying upbeat, keeping positive and blocking out the negatives, and everyone will support me really well too."
Being back with the team is something that Hunt is looking forward to, "There’s lots of stuff that I can do, helping out the guys, the season is long and this is when the season really starts to pick-up as a player, so just being there for the guys and helping the younger guys and just being there for everyone," he said.
Hunt has returned to the gym to stay in shape for a return to the ice and he will begin rehabbing his injury in the next few weeks.
"Right now, it’s kind of tough to limit my exercises with my one arm, but there’s lots of stuff to do, I’m in the gym and Brooke’s helping me out a lot, once a couple weeks go by, I’m going to start my rehabilitation and everything should be good," he said.
While keeping his body in shape is important, keeping his hockey mind sharp is key as well and Hunt feels that getting to watch the game from a different perspective can help him improve when he steps back onto the ice.
"You get a different view of the game," he said. "When you’re playing, you focus on yourself, but when you’re up in the stands, you get a different view of the game, you get to experience what it’s like and what to expect and it’s definitely interesting."
