| Zack Hayes | |
| Birth Date: | 24 April 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lb: | 219 |
| Position: | Defenceman |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | AHL |
| Team: | Laval Rocket |
| Former Teams: | Vegas Golden Knights Vaasan Sport |
| Draft: | Undrafted |
| Career Start: | 2022 |
Zachary Hayes (born April 24, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Hayes has previously played for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hayes was born on April 24, 1999, in Calgary, Alberta,[1] the oldest of four children. He played several sports as a child, including soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and field hockey, but was the most passionate about ice hockey.[2] Hayes spent his minor ice hockey career with the Calgary Northstars of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL). He played in 27 games for the Northstars during the 2015–16 season, recording one goal and 10 points in the process.[3]
The Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Hayes in the ninth round, 184th overall, of the WHL Bantam Draft. Hayes' parents wanted him to explore other options, and he played two games for the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) before signing a contract with the Raiders. After recording 29 points in his first 144 WHL games, he was named an alternate captain for the Raiders' 2018–19 season.[4] That season, Prince Albert won the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in 34 years, advancing to the 2019 Memorial Cup as WHL champions prior to being eliminated in round-robin play by the Guelph Storm.[5]
Named captain of the Raiders for the 2019–20 season,[6] he set career highs with seven goals and 16 assists in 60 games, as well as a team-leading +37 plus–minus.[7] Collectively, Hayes finished his junior hockey career with 15 goals and 79 points in 272 games.[8]
On April 6, 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Hayes to a one-year contract with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.[9] On March 30, 2021, the Golden Knights signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract that would take effect for the 2021–22 NHL season.[10]
Hayes was promoted to Vegas on March 21, 2022, making his NHL debut for the Golden Knights' 3–0 shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild.[11]
In the following 2022–23 season, Hayes was re-assigned to begin the campaign with the Silver Knights in the AHL. After registering 1 assist through 14 games, Hayes was traded by the Golden Knights to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations on November 30, 2022.[12] He was assigned directly to Hurricanes AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. In reporting to the Wolves, Hayes made 14 further appearances in collecting 3 points before he was traded for the second time within the season, dealt from the Hurricanes to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Jack Dugan on March 10, 2023..[13]
As the conclusion of his contract with the Devils, Hayes opted to embark on a career abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Finnish-based, Vaasan Sport of the Liiga, on September 19, 2023.[14] He would ultimately return to North America after just a single season overseas, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Laval Rocket, the top affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, on July 22, 2024.[15]
| Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Calgary Northstars | AMHL | 32 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Northstars | AMHL | 33 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | AJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 72 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 71 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 98 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |||
| Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 68 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 74 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |||
| Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 60 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| AHL | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 54 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2022–23 | AHL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2022–23 | AHL | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||
| Liiga | 53 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 119 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||