Zachary Hayes (born April 24, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Hayes has previously played for the Vegas Golden Knights.
| Zack Hayes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 24, 1999 Calgary, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Defenceman | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| AHL team Former teams |
Laval Rocket Vegas Golden Knights Vaasan Sport | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Early life
Hayes was born on April 24, 1999, in Calgary, Alberta,[1] the oldest of four children. He played several sports as a child, including soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and field hockey, but was the most passionate about ice hockey.[2] Hayes spent his minor ice hockey career with the Calgary Northstars of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL). He played in 27 games for the Northstars during the 2015–16 season, recording one goal and 10 points in the process.[3]
Playing career
Junior
The Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Hayes in the ninth round, 184th overall, of the WHL Bantam Draft. Hayes' parents wanted him to explore other options, and he played two games for the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) before signing a contract with the Raiders.[2] After recording 29 points in his first 144 WHL games, he was named an alternate captain for the Raiders' 2018–19 season.[4] That season, Prince Albert won the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in 34 years, advancing to the 2019 Memorial Cup as WHL champions prior to being eliminated in round-robin play by the Guelph Storm.[5]
Named captain of the Raiders for the 2019–20 season,[6] he set career highs with seven goals and 16 assists in 60 games, as well as a team-leading +37 plus–minus.[7] Collectively, Hayes finished his junior hockey career with 15 goals and 79 points in 272 games.[8]
Professional
On April 6, 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Hayes to a one-year contract with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.[9] On March 30, 2021, the Golden Knights signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract that would take effect for the 2021–22 NHL season.[10]
Hayes was promoted to Vegas on March 21, 2022, making his NHL debut for the Golden Knights' 3–0 shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild.[11]
In the following 2022–23 season, Hayes was re-assigned to begin the campaign with the Silver Knights in the AHL. After registering 1 assist through 14 games, Hayes was traded by the Golden Knights to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations on November 30, 2022.[12] He was assigned directly to Hurricanes AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. In reporting to the Wolves, Hayes made 14 further appearances in collecting 3 points before he was traded for the second time within the season, dealt from the Hurricanes to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Jack Dugan on March 10, 2023..[13]
As the conclusion of his contract with the Devils, Hayes opted to embark on a career abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Finnish-based, Vaasan Sport of the Liiga, on September 19, 2023.[14] He would ultimately return to North America after just a single season overseas, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Laval Rocket, the top affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, on July 22, 2024.[15]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Calgary Northstars | AMHL | 32 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Northstars | AMHL | 33 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Canmore Eagles | AJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 72 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 71 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 98 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 68 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 74 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2019–20 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 60 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 54 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Vaasan Sport | Liiga | 53 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 119 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion | 2019 | [16] |
References
- ^ "Zachary Hayes Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Redden, Trevor (February 6, 2019). "The Captains: Steady climb for rugged Hayes". paNOW. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Raiders Sign Zack Hayes". CHL.ca. January 28, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Prince Albert Raiders announce leadership group for 2018–19 season". CHL.ca. August 24, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Cicerella, Kyle (May 22, 2019). "Raiders WHL championship puts hockey back on the map in Prince Albert, Sask". Global News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Raiders Announce Leadership Group for 2019–20 Season". CHL.ca. October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Hayes Signs AHL Contract with Vegas". CHL.ca. April 6, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Hodder, Zach (March 30, 2021). "Former Raiders captain Zack Hayes signs ELC with Vegas Golden Knights". CHL.ca. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Golden Knights Sign Free Agent Defenseman Zack Hayes To AHL Contract". Vegas Golden Knights. April 6, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Announce Roster Transactions". Vegas Golden Knights. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via NHL.com.
- ^ Pierce, Jessi (March 22, 2022). "Talbot makes 28 saves, Wild shut out Golden Knights". NHL.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ "Canes Acquire Zack Hayes From Vegas". Carolina Hurricanes. Retrieved 2022-12-01 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Canes acquire Jack Dugan from Devils". Carolina Hurricanes. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023 – via NHL.com.
- ^ "Puolustaja Zack Hayes vahvistaa Sportin puolustusta" [Defenseman Zack Hayes added to Sport blueline] (in Finnish). Vaasan Sport. September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Rocket agree to terms with defenseman Zack Hayes" (Press release). Laval Rocket. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ D'Andrea, Jeff (November 1, 2019). "Raiders receive rings after a long but worth-it wait". paNOW. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database