Hounds happy seeing Hayes on a heater
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
With nearly every shift, Gavin Hayes validates the confidence the Soo Greyhounds had when they worked extra hard to extract him from the Flint Firebirds roster.
“He was definitely our top trade target. He checked all of the boxes,” said general manager Kyle Raftis, explaining how Hayes, a 19-year-old (2004 birth year) right-winger, was so enticing to the Hounds prior to the Jan. 10 trade deadline. “When we were looking at adding a top-six forward, we thought he’d mesh really well with us.”
That’s certainly been the case over the first five games since Hayes was acquired for wingers Alex Kostov and Connor Clattenburg, along with second (in 2027), third (2025), fourth (2026) and fifth-round (2025) draft choices.
Going into Friday’s 7:07 p.m. home start against the Kitchener Rangers, the Westland, Mich., native has registered at least a point in every game. The six-foot-two, 178-pounder has posted a 5-6-11 stat line, which includes a trio of power-play goals.
Overall this season, he’s notched 24 goals and 23 assists in just 32 games.
“I’m really happy here,” said Hayes, a signed NHL prospect, taken by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round (No. 66 overall) of the 2022 Entry Draft. “Right from the start, all of the guys have been great. The coaching staff has been great, too. It’s been unbelievable here.”
In a little over two weeks in the Sault, Hayes has come to appreciate both the talent, and depth, his new club features.
He spoke of how the Greyhounds “can play four lines if we’re up a goal or down a goal.”
Fresh from helping Team USA win the gold medal at the recent world junior championships, Hayes spoke of how he’s hungry to play a part in the Greyhounds winning an OHL title.
“Throwing your gloves in the air and celebrating with your team is the best feeling ever,” he added. “That gold medal was awesome and it just makes you want it (in the OHL) even more. I’m super hungry to win here.”
The Hounds quest to latch onto Hayes began in early December when Raftis checked in with Flint general manager Dave McParlan.
Raftis wanted an idea as to which direction – buy, sell or stand pat – the Firebirds were headed in.
But Hayes “wasn’t available at that point,” Raftis explained. “They weren’t in a position where they were interested in moving him.”
However, the Soo GM continued to make enquiries. And Hayes, who explained he didn’t demand a trade, admitted he informed Flint brass that in his final OHL season, he wouldn’t mind playing with his brother, Travis, a Greyhounds rookie.
Jump ahead closer to the deadline, and the Firebirds made their OHL rivals aware overage players Braeden Kressler and Zach Giroux were available. Kressler eventually was dealt to Ottawa while Giroux went to Sudbury.
Once the OAs were up for trade “the Hayes deal came together rather quickly,” said Raftis, who lamented having to depart with Clattenburg and Kostov.
Difficult conversations were unavoidable – it was necessary for Kostov to waive the no-trade clause in his contract and Clattenburg had to be informed he was changing teams.
With so much at stake, Raftis was asked if he needed to scout Hayes in December.
“No. I’ve watched him a lot over his time in the league,” the GM answered. “I’ve always kind of kept an eye on him and knew he was one of the best players in the league when it came to producing offence. When the conversation turned to him being available, we knew what we were getting.”
The Greyhounds take pride in the character of their players and the cohesive bond the 2023-2024 club has built.
How did Raftis and head coach John Dean know Hayes would fit?
“I talked in passing to the guys in Chicago and they’re super-excited about him,” Raftis answered. “And obviously, we have a pretty good resource with his younger brother here. “
The GM went on to explain how the Hounds know the parents of the Hayes boys, Paul and Mandy, and “we know what type of people they are. You won’t find anyone with a bad word to say about Gavin.”
That includes the Greyhounds, who knew they were getting a high-quality offensive player, but have realized much more.
“He’s better than we thought he was,” said Dean, whose club takes a three-game winning streak, not to mention a 29-12-2-1 record, into the Kitchener (30-13-2-0) matchup. “I didn’t realize how high his intelligence is.”
When watching Hayes as an opposition player, Dean realized quickly how dangerous on the rush he was.
“He was always a threat to shoot,” Dean added. “But I didn’t realize how good, smart and responsible he is away from the puck and just what kind of puck distributor he is as well. He draws coverage to himself and that frees up teammates.”
“We probably didn’t know just how good his 200-foot game is,” Raftis said. “Defensively, he’s better than we thought. His ability to strip pucks is impressive and anytime the puck is on his stick, he’s dangerous. When you need a goal in a big moment, he’s a guy who wants to be a difference-maker.”
Hayes spoke of how he can tell his coach respects him and that boosts his confidence. It’s another of the reasons why he enjoys playing in the Sault.
“Deaner has told me that if I see something on the ice, let him know. He allows me to have some input.”
Dean talked about how he and his assistants seek opinions and learn from their players.
“I like to know what they’re feeling and seeing on the ice,” the coach added. “We’re a collaborative coaching staff. That’s part of the process of coaching. Sometimes we use it, sometimes we don’t.”
The Rangers will enter Friday’s game on a two-game losing skid, having dropped 4-2 and 10-3 decisions to the red-hot London Knights, winners of 14 straight.
Dean agreed that back-to-back setbacks makes the Rangers a dangerous opponent.
“You’re going to have a motivated coaching staff and a motivated group of players,” he said. “Coming off of a pair of losses like that, you know they’re going to put in a good, hard week of practice. They’ll want to prove themselves.”
Dean said his club is going to have to manage pucks well, stay above pucks and do all of the little things necessary to win.
Kitchener is “elite off the rush, good in transition and very, very dangerous in the O-zone,” added the coach, whose club also plays host to Sarnia on Sunday (2:07 p.m.).
Both Bryce McConnell-Barker (concussion) and Travis Hayes (lower-body injury) remain day-to-day added Dean, who went on to say Hayes will probably play on Friday.
McConnell-Barker has been out since Dec. 10 and Raftis was asked if the club is concerned about the captain’s health status.
“Not at all,” the GM said. “Obviously, we were concerned initially when he was injured. But he continues to make progress and, truthfully, we’re being overly cautious with him.”
