| Avery Hayes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
October 10, 2002 Westland, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
Pittsburgh Penguins WBS Penguins (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||
Avery Hayes (born October 10, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Hayes played major junior ice hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Hamilton Bulldogs, and was later traded to the Peterborough Petes. Undrafted, he began his professional career with the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2023. In the midst of a productive 2024–25 AHL season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate, the Pittsburgh Penguins, signed Hayes to a two-year entry-level contract set to begin in 2025–26.
With Blake Lizotte away from the team with his expectant wife and Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell dealing with illness and injury, respectively, Hayes was recalled to make his NHL debut on February 5, 2026. He would score his first two NHL goals that night in a 5–2 Penguins win over the Buffalo Sabres.
In August 2019, Hayes represented the United States under-18 team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Hayes is the oldest of four brothers, all of which play hockey. Gavin plays for the Rockford IceHogs as a prospect of the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him in the third round of the 2022 draft. Travis is a forward for the Soo Greyhounds and was a teammate of Gavin's during the 2023–24 season; the Penguins drafted Travis in the fourth round of the 2025 draft. His youngest brother Elijah was later drafted 241st overall by the Soo Greyhounds in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 64 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 42 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Levice | Slovakia2 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 66 | 41 | 38 | 79 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 19 | ||
| 2022–23 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 33 | 27 | 14 | 41 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 32 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 12 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 14 | ||
| 2023–24 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 29 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 60 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 42 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 48 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 40 | ||
| 2025–26 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | United States U18 | HG18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
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