Penguins ink forward prospect Avery Hayes to 2-year entry-level deal
As he enjoys a productive campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, 22-year-old winger Avery Hayes inked a two-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was announced Thursday.
Hayes’ deal begins in 2025-26 and runs through 2026-27.
Hayes, who went undrafted before signing an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, is the club’s fifth-leading scorer, having already set career-highs of 17 goals and 18 assists through 44 games played.
A 5-foot-10 right-handed shot, Hayes debuted with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2023-24, appearing in 29 games while contributing six goals and three assists.
Prior to joining the Penguins organization, he played four junior seasons in the Ontario Hockey league (OHL) from 2018-23 with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Peterborough Petes, scoring 106 goals with 97 assists in 237 career games.
A native of Westland, Mich., Hayes captured OHL championships in 2022 and ‘23 with the Bulldogs and Petes.
Hayes is the fourth Penguins prospect to ink an entry-level deal this month, following seventh-round (No. 223 overall) 2024 draft pick Finn Harding, fourth-round (No. 111 overall) 2024 selection Chase Pietila and seventh-round (No. 215 overall) 2021 selection Daniel Laatsch.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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