Hunter McKown

Hunter McKown
Born (2002-08-18) August 18, 2002
San Jose, California, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2023–present

Hunter McKown (born August 18, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by teams in the NHL, McKown has previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Playing career

McKown played minor hockey with the San Jose Jr. Sharks before moving to play with the St. Louis AAA Blues of the T1EHL.[1] In continuing his development, he joined the U.S. National Team Development Program and played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) ranks for two years beginning in 2018–19.[2] Thereafter, McKown committed to play collegiate hockey with Colorado College in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).[3]

Serving as an alternate captain for the Tigers in his junior season in 2022–23,[4] McKown finished with a team leading 21 goals and 28 points. Using his size, he led the NCAA in power play goals (14) and was named as an All-NCHC Honorable Mention selection.[5][6]

As an undrafted free agent, McKown concluded his collegiate career and was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets and immediately joined their roster to close out the 2022–23 season on March 20, 2023.[7] Four days later, he made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets, recording an assist in an 5–4 overtime victory over the New York Islanders.[8]

After three full seasons within the Blue Jackets organization as member of American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Cleveland Monsters,[9] McKown was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Luke Tuch on June 25, 2026.[10] Entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, McKown was tendered a qualifying offer by the Canadiens four days later,[11] and signed a one-year extension with the team on July 20.[12]

International play

Internationally, McKown represented USA Hockey as part of the United States national junior team at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where his team ultimately finished in fifth place.[13][14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 St. Louis AAA Blues T1EHL 33 10 15 25 38 — — — — —
2018–19 U.S. National Development Team USHL 27 2 4 6 26 2 0 0 0 2
2019–20 U.S. National Development Team USHL 16 1 2 3 14 — — — — —
2020–21 Colorado College NCHC 23 2 4 6 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Colorado College NCHC 35 13 8 21 29 — — — — —
2022–23 Colorado College NCHC 38 21 7 28 30 — — — — —
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 12 0 2 2 8 — — — — —
2023–24 Cleveland Monsters AHL 53 9 15 24 26 11 2 2 4 8
2024–25 Cleveland Monsters AHL 68 13 18 31 34 6 1 1 2 2
2025–26 Cleveland Monsters AHL 63 9 16 25 38 8 1 1 2 8
NHL totals 12 0 2 2 8 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 United States WJC 5th 4 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 40110

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
USHL
USA Hockey All-American Game 2020 [15]
College
NCHC Honorable Mention All-Star Team 2023 [6]
NCHC All-Tournament Team 2023 [16]

References

  1. ↑ Svoboda, Jeff (November 1, 2023). "Prospect Report: McKown's journey has brought him to Ohio". Columbus Blue Jackets. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  2. ↑ Olsen, Becky (March 10, 2020). "Hunter McKown Applying All Lessons Learned with NTDP into Under-18 Season". USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ @CCHockeyNews (November 23, 2019). "Per the USNTDP roster and USHL website, Hunter McKown has committed to CC. The 6'1" forward from San Jose, California is a product of the Jr. Sharks and St. Louis AAA Blues. Recently named to Central Scouting's "Players to Watch" list for the 2020 NHL Draft" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "Tigers Name Captains For '22-23 Season". Colorado College Athletics. September 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  5. ↑ Portzline, Aaron (March 23, 2023). "Blue Jackets' Hunter McKown endured a humbling, challenging path to the NHL". The Athletic. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "NCHC Reveals 2022-23 All-Conference Teams". National Collegiate Hockey Conference. March 8, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Blue Jackets sign C Hunter McKown to three-year, entry level contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  8. ↑ "Jenner's OT goal lifts Blue Jackets over Islanders". ESPN. March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  9. ↑ Motz, Weston (February 9, 2026). "Checking in on the forwards for the Cleveland Monsters". FanSided. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Canadiens acquire forward Hunter McKown from the Columbus Blue Jackets". Montreal Canadiens. June 25, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  11. ↑ "Canadiens submit qualifying offers to eight players". Montreal Canadiens. June 29, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  12. ↑ "One-year contracts for Jared Davidson and Hunter McKown". Montreal Canadiens. July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026 – via NHL.com.
  13. ↑ "Nine NCHC Players Selected to 2022 U.S. National Junior Team". National Collegiate Hockey Conference. August 8, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Team USA Drops World Juniors Quarterfinals Matchup, 4-2, to Czechia". USA Hockey. August 17, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Rosters Set For 2020 BioSteel All-American Game". USA Hockey. December 27, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  16. ↑ Davich, Sean (March 18, 2023). "St. Cloud State blanks Colorado College, wins second NCHC playoff championship". US College Hockey Organization. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
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