The Pittsburgh Penguins assigned rookie forward Avery Hayes to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Thursday morning.

A healthy scratch for the past two games, Hayes has appeared in 11 NHL contests this season and scored two goals while averaging 10:37 of ice time per contest.

Despite not having played an AHL game since Feb. 21, the right-handed Hayes leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 19 goals while totaling 30 points in 36 contests.

Hayes, 23, is in the first year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $830,000.

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