'Energetic' Hayes 'not too dissimilar' to big brother
The Penguins added to their prospect pool midseason when they signed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Avery Hayes from an AHL contract to an NHL entry-level deal.
Hayes is a bit of a rat. High-energy, always in the post-whistle scrums, loves mixing it up in front of the net, but he has the high-end offensive skill to complement that.
On Saturday, the Penguins drafted Avery's younger brother Travis in the fourth round of the draft. The younger Hayes is a winger from the OHL's Soo Greyhounds, a right-handed shot listed at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds.
"He's probably not too dissimilar to his brother," Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said of Travis. "Super competitive, hungry, a really good shooter. Loves to score goals, and strong at the net. Very similar to Avery, an underdog mindset. We like the upside."
Not a bad guy to have.
Travis Hayes was one of the Greyhounds' best players last season. His 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 65 games ranked fifth on the team. He tied for second in postseason scoring and led in goals, scoring three goals and an assist in five games in Greyhounds' short-lived run.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide called Hayes "one of the most energetic players in the draft," and someone whose "motor rarely stops. His activity rate, deceptive rush patterns, and passing ability make up for his lack of explosiveness at the OHL level."
Kyle Dubas was almost giddy when chatting with Hayes after the pick was made, and started envisioning a Hayes-Hayes line at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo in September:
Anyone who you're going to find in the fourth round is inevitably going to be somewhat of a project. Hayes has elements to his game that you can't teach -- the competitiveness, the energy. Rounding out his game can happen later, just like it did for his older brother. If his trajectory is anything like Avery's, he'll be an exciting prospect in a couple of years.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
11:18 pm - 06.28.2025Downtown'Energetic' Hayes 'not too dissimilar' to big brother
The Penguins added to their prospect pool midseason when they signed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Avery Hayes from an AHL contract to an NHL entry-level deal.
Hayes is a bit of a rat. High-energy, always in the post-whistle scrums, loves mixing it up in front of the net, but he has the high-end offensive skill to complement that.
On Saturday, the Penguins drafted Avery's younger brother Travis in the fourth round of the draft. The younger Hayes is a winger from the OHL's Soo Greyhounds, a right-handed shot listed at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds.
"He's probably not too dissimilar to his brother," Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark said of Travis. "Super competitive, hungry, a really good shooter. Loves to score goals, and strong at the net. Very similar to Avery, an underdog mindset. We like the upside."
Not a bad guy to have.
Travis Hayes was one of the Greyhounds' best players last season. His 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 65 games ranked fifth on the team. He tied for second in postseason scoring and led in goals, scoring three goals and an assist in five games in Greyhounds' short-lived run.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide called Hayes "one of the most energetic players in the draft," and someone whose "motor rarely stops. His activity rate, deceptive rush patterns, and passing ability make up for his lack of explosiveness at the OHL level."
Kyle Dubas was almost giddy when chatting with Hayes after the pick was made, and started envisioning a Hayes-Hayes line at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo in September:
Anyone who you're going to find in the fourth round is inevitably going to be somewhat of a project. Hayes has elements to his game that you can't teach -- the competitiveness, the energy. Rounding out his game can happen later, just like it did for his older brother. If his trajectory is anything like Avery's, he'll be an exciting prospect in a couple of years.
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