From N.Y. to Texas to Omaha, Hunter McDonald on a fast road

Hunter McDonald, 2002 Omaha Lancers defenseman (Omaha Lancers Photography Crew)

After playing a waiting game with his development, defenseman Hunter McDonald is starting to see the road to college and professional hockey take shape for him.

McDonald, a 19-year-old Fairport, N.Y., native, just completed his second junior hockey season, but first in the USHL as a rookie with the Omaha Lancers.

Despite the uncertainty of a pandemic and how that disruption would impact the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound McDonald committed himself to leaving the safety net at home to play in the USA’s only Tier 1 junior hockey league, and that experience is paying major dividends for him after a superb first campaign.

“The speed was the biggest thing I had to get used to,” McDonald said after a recent game with the Roc City Elite 02 squad at the pre-draft showcase in Foxboro, Mass. “Everyone is bigger, faster, stronger. The game is so fast.”

A standout with the Syracuse Nationals, Buffalo Jr. Sabres and Rochester Coalition AAA programs at the bantam and minor midget levels, he went undrafted in the USHL futures lottery in 2018 nor was he selected in 2019. He made the jump to junior hockey at age 17 to the NCDC with the Rochester Monarchs and played well enough to earn a shot with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays of the NAHL, attracting the interest of numerous teams for his natural size and mobility, superb defensive play and mean streak.

“It was a tough process to go through, but I had fun with it,” McDonald said. “Going from to NCDC then to the NAHL and then the USHL, it was a hard transition at times but I had great coaching, great teammates, and I had fun.”

Omaha took him in the 2020 draft’s tenth round, 148th overall, and McDonald took no time to establish himself at the highest junior level, with a maturity and poise that quickly earned the trust of his teammates and coaches.

“He was the best defender in the USHL this past season,” one NHL scout from the Western Conference told nyhockeyjournal.com. “He’s a shutdown guy with elite size and skates well. He’s tough and physical; he matched up against the (western conference’s) best and took people out.”

A rangy, skater with long reach and a throwback approach to playing the position, McDonald secured a NCAA D1 commitment to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his strong defensive acumen got NHL teams’ attention this season. He dealt with a significant hand injury early in the year that hampered his ability to handle the puck, but by the end, he was healthy and made some nifty offensive plays.

“(McDonald’s) puck game improved late in the year as he got healthier and more confident, but that’s the area that still needs growth,” the scout said. “He might not produce a lot of points, but look at Montreal come playoff time, and you still need guys like him. He is one of the most intriguing late-round guys in the U.S. this year.”

One of the keys to McDonald taking that step from raw talent to poised, impactful defenseman who has a legitimate chance to be taken in the NHL draft’s latter rounds, was getting out of his comfort zone versus staying closer to home by playing an extra year of midget hockey at the 18U level. He accepted the challenge of leaving Rochester for the Texas coast at mid-season and the NAHL’s rough-and-tumble South Division, where he convinced Omaha it was time for him to be a top defensive defenseman in the USHL.

“It’s always good to have a little chip on your shoulder,” McDonald said of being passed over the first few years in the USHL draft. “Knowing you can do it and if you put in the work, you can always get better. For some people, it might not be your time. My time was a little later, but when it was my time, I was ready to go and make an impact.”

He is expected to return for one more USHL season with the Lancers and will then make the jump to the NCAA at age 20. The added seasoning, time to add more mass and strength to his big frame and the challenge of bringing more of an offensive dimension to his game is a challenge McDonald is ready to embrace.

“I’m a good shutdown ‘D’,” he said. “I just try to make simple plays, have a good stick, know where to be in the (defensive) zone and join the rush when needed. Be simple, but be smart.”

nyhockeyjournal.com NHL draft/future projection: 6th or 7th-round selection in 2021; could establish himself in as a third-pair, high-minute defenseman. NHL ETA: 2026

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