Zack Hayes

For the theologian, see Zachary Hayes.
Zack Hayes
Born (1999-04-24) April 24, 1999 (age 25)
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 2021–present

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.

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 the 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 forward Jack Dugan on March 10, 2023 at the AHL trade deadline.[13][14] He finished the season with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.[14]

At 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 Liiga, on September 19, 2023. He was brought in to strengthen the team's defence corps after an injury to Valtteri Hietanen.[15] He returned 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.[16]

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 [17]

References

  1. ^ "Zachary Hayes Stats and News". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Redden, Trevor (February 6, 2019). "The Captains: Steady climb for rugged Hayes". paNOW. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "Raiders Sign Zack Hayes". Prince Albert Raiders. January 28, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via CHL.ca.
  4. ^ "Prince Albert Raiders announce leadership group for 2018–19 season". Prince Albert Raiders. August 24, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via CHL.ca.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Raiders Announce Leadership Group for 2019–20 Season". Prince Albert Raiders. October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via CHL.ca.
  7. ^ "Hayes Signs AHL Contract with Vegas". Prince Albert Raiders. April 6, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via CHL.ca.
  8. ^ Hodder, Zach (March 30, 2021). "Former Raiders captain Zack Hayes signs ELC with Vegas Golden Knights". Western Hockey League. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via CHL.ca.
  9. ^ "Golden Knights Sign Free Agent Defenseman Zack Hayes To AHL Contract". Vegas Golden Knights. April 6, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  10. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Announce Roster Transactions". Vegas Golden Knights. March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  11. ^ Pierce, Jessi (March 22, 2022). "Talbot makes 28 saves, Wild shut out Golden Knights". NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Canes Acquire Zack Hayes From Vegas". Carolina Hurricanes. November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  13. ^ "Canes acquire Jack Dugan from Devils". Carolina Hurricanes. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  14. ^ a b "Utica Comets & New Jersey Devils Announce Player Movement". Utica Comets. March 10, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Puolustaja Zack Hayes vahvistaa Sportin puolustusta" [Defenseman Zack Hayes added to Sport blueline] (in Finnish). Vaasan Sport. September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  16. ^ "Rocket agree to terms with defenseman Zack Hayes" (Press release). Laval Rocket. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ D'Andrea, Jeff (November 1, 2019). "Raiders receive rings after a long but worth-it wait". paNOW. Retrieved July 22, 2024.