BUFFALO — Hunter McDonald aspired to make the Philadelphia Flyers' opening day roster for the 2026-27 season. If not, he'd work to become one of the organization's first call-ups.
He didn't reach the first goal, but his second proved true. Just in the nick of time for a semi-homecoming.
The Fairport native, following a recall from the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday, appeared in his third NHL game on Wednesday, helping the Flyers defeat the Buffalo Sabres.
"It was a great night and a great win," McDonald said after the game. "It was great to have my family here as well and a lot of friends from back home."
McDonald skated a modest 13 minutes and 18 seconds, a slight bump from the 10 minutes he played in his season debut
Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.
He was credited with a team-high six hits, none bigger than the punishing open-ice check on Sabres forward Ryan McLeod with about five minutes left in the third period. That prompted a retaliatory fight for McDonald against defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
The sequence was McDonald's first fighting major in the NHL.
Hunter McDonald has been really good today. On this shift he received a pass from Matvei for a shot attempt, blew up a guy, and then dropped the gloves with Samuelsson and drew an instigator penalty from it. Good stuff.#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/tpvPBLmAzM
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) October 22, 2026
First fight, but not his first skate at KeyBank Arena. McDonald played youth hockey for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres who regularly used the arena. In high school he was selected for the Scotty Bowman Showcase, a matchup that features the top Rochester-area players against their Buffalo counterparts, played on the Sabres' home ice.
On hand in Buffalo were McDonald's parents, Joy and Tom, as well as other family and friends scattered through the arena (Hunter said he was on the financial hook for only a couple of tickets to the game).
Seated in the arena's lower bowl, mother Joy McDonald acknowledged that while the stress level natural for a sports parent has eased as Hunter progressed, this particular game will take time to sink in.
"This was all him. We supported him as parents do. He set his own path, he did the rest on his own, he worked hard," Joy McDonald said.
McDonald was able to meet with family briefly after the game, before the team's departure from the arena. Post-game meet-ups take a different tone nowadays. His father Tom McDonald, who was the longtime Penfield High School varsity hockey coach and a junior coach in Rochester, said he no longer offers coaching points after games, deferring to a more conversational approach.
"I think we are on the same page and can bring up plays and we both know the exact play," Tom McDonald said. "As early as 2 years old he'd sit with me for hours watching video and cutting clips. Maybe that's how we have a good recollection of a game he played in and I watched."
McDonald's return to the NHL has been baptism by fire. His two opponents so far this season, Buffalo and Colorado, ranked fifth and first in goals scored last season. While the clubs are lacking the same pace to start 2026-27, both figure to rank among the league leaders by season's end.
For McDonald's part, the 24-year-old hopes his physical brand of hockey translates into an extended stay with the big league club. Prior to his recall, McDonald contributed one goal and two assists in six games with Lehigh Valley.
It's worth noting McDonald has switched to No. 19, a more traditional uniform number (and his AHL number), which is in stark contrast to the unorthodox No. 75 he used in his NHL debut last April.
"I'm just doing the same thing I was doing down (in the AHL), playing my game here and just being confident in myself and not playing safe," McDonald said. "I think I'm doing that well right now, but whatever happens in the coming weeks, I'm ready for the moment."
That next moment could come as soon as Saturday when the Flyers host the Anaheim Ducks. Philadelphia, winless in its first nine games of the regular season, has now won three in a row.
Justin Ritzel is a sports reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on Section V athletics and high school trends.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Fairport's McDonald made sure his NHL homecoming was memorable | Exclusive
