Hounds love hard-working Hayes
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
You’ll find him at the point where tenacity intersects with skill.
And it’s been that way since Travis Hayes showed up at Soo Greyhounds training camp.
“He hit the ground running and has really exploded since then,” said Hounds general manager Kyle Raftis, who chose Hayes early in the second round (No. 25 overall) of the 2023 OHL Priority Selections draft. “We knew what type of player he could be, but I’m thrilled to see where he is already.”
“He’s been unbelievable,” head coach John Dean said of the five-foot-11, 170-pound right-winger. “I think the biggest thing is that he’s a warrior. He competes so hard.”
That desire, more times than not, has the 16-year-old (2007 birth year) Hayes hanging out in the areas where players typically pay a price to succeed.
And he’s not shy when it comes to operating in front of the opponent’s goal.
“I like to get to the front of the net and muck it up a little bit,” Hayes said. “I don’t care who I’m playing against, whether he’s 16 or 20.”
It’s one of the main reasons why Hayes carries a 14-19-33 stat line into Saturday’s 7:07 p.m. home start against the Peterborough Petes. Going into Friday’s league action, that had him sixth overall in OHL scoring among rookies.
“Obviously, it’s a learning year, so I just try to put my head down every day and keep working,” said Hayes, who, along with fellow rookie Brady Martin, is giving the Hounds reason to be more than a little excited about the near future. “It’s been good so far.”
And good of late, too.
Over his last seven games, Hayes has notched four goals and two assists.
“Watching him from last year to this year, his game has not changed at all,” said Raftis, thinking back to the days when Hayes produced a 34-32-66 stat line in 63 games, while also displaying an impressive work ethic, while skating for the Detroit Compuware 15s. “He plays bigger than he is. He doesn’t back down, no matter who he’s playing against. He’s not intimidated.”
Dean called such an approach “a coach’s dream.”
With his club also preparing for Sunday’s 2:07 p.m. clash with Kitchener at GFL Memorial Gardens, Dean talked of how Hayes holds himself to a high standard.
“When he makes a mistake, he’s not happy about it,” said the Soo coach, whose club is set to carry a 36-16-2-1 record into the Peterborough game. “Along with his compete level, obviously, his skill doesn’t go unnoticed. He’s got a great shot and he’s going to be a great player in this league.”
Asked about the best part of his game, Hayes spoke of the way in which he sees the ice. He talked of how much faster play is in the OHL and how he’s determined to outwork the older opponents he faces.
Questioned about areas which require improvement, the Westland, Mich., native, who lives about 30 kilometres west of downtown Detroit, talked about the last 10 seconds of his shifts.
“I want to make sure I’m getting pucks deep and not turning them over,” he said. “I also want to improved my puck management.”
From a mental standpoint, Hayes is looking to relax a little and not seethe over every missed scoring chance.
He said Dean has spoken to him about not getting down on himself and “slamming my stick.”
Skating on the same team as his brother, 19-year-old (2004) winger Gavin Hayes, has been a thrill, Travis said.
He knows he can go to his brother, one of the OHL’s top forwards, and get advice about anything – on and off the ice.
As for the club eventually building around he and Martin, a centre and the club’s first-round choice (No. 3 overall) last April, Hayes said it’s “super exciting” to think about.
But not so much these days.
Instead, he and Martin, his good buddy off the ice and typically his linemate on it, are determined to continue their development. Both strive to do their part in helping the Hounds achieve playoff success.
Heading into weekend action, Saginaw (40-14-0-1) is six points ahead of the Soo in the battle for first place in the West Division.
With both clubs having 13 regular season games remaining, the Spirit is slated to play host to North Bay on Friday and Brantford on Saturday.
The Hounds are fresh off a 7-3 win in Sarnia on Monday, a performance Dean wasn’t satisfied with.
After reviewing video of the contest, on Thursday Dean said his club didn’t play a “predictable brand of hockey.”
He lamented how his skaters aren’t all on the same page.
“Right now, it looks as if we have two guys doing something and the other three guys doing something else,” he said. “It’s really hindering our pace of play.”
Meantime, winger Marco Mignosa, who’s been out with an upper-body injury, is likely to play this weekend, but Dean said that isn’t written in stone.
As for the Petes, who carry a 17-31-5-1 mark into Sudbury on Friday, the Hounds coach spoke of how they’re a “young team with nothing to lose and that makes them dangerous.”
Notes:
The club has made recent additions to its group of captains. While Bryce McConnell-Barker (captain) and Kirill Kudryavtsev (alternate) will continue to wear letters in all games, Jack Beck and Owen Allard will wear As during home games and Gavin Hayes and Justin Cloutier will serve as alternates during road contests.
