After spending four seasons in the Minnesota Wild system, including the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) and Iowa Wild (AHL), Hunter Jones decided to sign with Trois-Rivieres Lions, giving him a chance to prove himself after suffering injuries the prior season, and ultimately helping the team become ECHL champions by capturing the Kelly Cup.
Jones, who was born and raised in Branford, explained his time playing for the Wild system and his thought process when signing with a new team.
“I played four years in the Wild organization. During my final season with the Heartlanders, I didn’t really play a lot because of some injuries, which was disappointing. I also knew that the team was heading in a different direction with a new goaltender. There were no hard feelings when I made the decision to leave the organization…I have nothing but good things to say about them…[and] they treated me well over the years,” Jones noted. “During free agency, I had some interest from a couple teams around the league, but ultimately, I thought playing in Canada would be easier on my family. I also had heard good things about being in the Montreal Canadians system [as] I had some friends that had been playing there, which made my decision a lot easier for me when I signed with the Lions (an affiliate of the Canadians.) And obviously with the position that I was in and coming back from injuries, I just wanted to have an opportunity to play a little bit more….so the goal for me was getting back to the level I knew I could play at.”
Jones would go on to have a bit of a comeback year, starting 28 games in goal for the Lions while building a strong tandem with Luke Cavallin.
“I had a really strong season with Luke, my goaltending partner…and I think we both played phenomenal. We were dialed in all year, winning games for our team. When I got the opportunity to go in net, I was shutting the door, and as a team, we felt that we could win the game no matter what…and I would say that was a strength for us,” Jones reflected. “Luke and I had known each other since junior hockey. We didn’t really play against each other a whole lot. He was in the other division, while I was playing in Peterborough [of the OHL], he was playing in Flint…while I had signed early in the summer, he had signed very late, about two weeks away from training camp…So, I didn’t know how it was going to play out…but we got along great and got to know each other through the season. We really pushed each other on a daily basis, which made us better and the team stronger.”
However, Jones would get on a hot streak with nine straight games without a regulation loss.
“I didn’t have a regulation loss until March, and I was getting points in every game. My teammates were very happy for me. But as a team, early on, we knew we had something special. We had a great system and played very conservatively which is great when you’re a goaltender,” he explained. “Our head coach Ron [Choules] is an old-fashioned guy, but is a player’s coach…and as a player, you want coaches that will help you develop, and Ron is that type of coach.”
After a strong regular season, the Lions were dealt with a few hiccups before regaining their winning form.
“I had played a decent number of games down the stretch because Luke was battling an injury. But our team was not playing up to our standards, [and] we lost some games we probably should have won…when the playoffs began, Luke would start the first couple of games [and] got us through the first round. He then got called up by Laval [Rockets, AHL] for that start of the second round…so, I was going to have to start against the Norfolk Admirals. So that was a big challenge for me,” Jones reflected. “It was my first ever playoff game as a pro and I hadn’t played in the playoffs since junior hockey. It was definitely nerve-wracking. But I went into that first game and ended up getting the shutout win. I was very proud of that effort and to be a part of the playoff run in some way at that point. And when Luke came back… the coach went with him because he had earned that position, especially after winning the first round.”
The Lions would go on to beat Norfolk in the second round as well as the defending champions, the Florida Everblades in the third round, and eventually reaching their first Kelly Cup Finals in team history. They would then win the championship by beating the Toledo Walleye four games to one. After celebrating with the team, Jones had a chance to bring it back to his hometown of Branford.
“Anybody who has been following my hockey career knows that it means a lot to be able to win this championship, because of what I’ve gone through. And it hasn’t been a relatively easy path for me…so, people were very happy to see me win it,” he said. “It’s great being from a hockey town like Brantford and bringing the Kelly Cup back home to family, friends, and the community that have watched me play since I was a kid. And being able to share this with them and seeing their reactions to this accomplishment is special for me.”
After the championship, Jones reflected on the season as a whole and what he learned from it.
“A big takeaway for myself after looking back at the season was the importance of having faith and a good mindset and not worrying about all this extra stuff around me that, at the end of the day, isn’t really important,” he said. “During my first couple seasons with Minnesota, I was focused on everybody else’s expectations of me…especially after having a chance to play in the NHL at a young age…but after last season with the Lions, I learned a lot about myself and how important it is to stay focused [particularly] when it matters most.”
