Hunter Miska Signs with Arizona Coyotes

Minnesota Duluth freshman goalie Hunter Miska has signed an entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Miska established himself as the number one goalie on a Minnesota Duluth team that traded the number one ranking back-and-forth all season with Denver, before eventually falling to the Pioneers in the national title game. Miska finished his rookie season with a .920 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average. He was one of five finalists for this year’s Mike Richter Award for the NCAA’s best goalie.

Miska didn’t begin playing goalie until he was a teenager, though was certainly familiar with the position, as his father Todd painted goalie masks for many of the NHL’s top goalies. He earned an invitation to play for the US National Team Development Program as a 16-year-old due to his tremendous athleticism and potential upside. Because of his relative inexperience, Miska played two years of junior hockey after leaving the NTDP program before joining the Bulldogs.

Miska’s departure leaves Hunter Shepard and Nick Deery as goalies on the UMD roster, and the Bulldogs are expected to add another goalie late to replace Miska’s spot on the roster.