Zack Hayes
Zachary Hayes | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 24, 1999 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Defence for Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL, NHL debut with Vegas Golden Knights |
Zachary Hayes (born April 24, 1999) is a Canadian ice hockey professional who plays as a defenceman for the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL). Although he was not selected in the National Hockey League (NHL) draft, Hayes has appeared with the Vegas Golden Knights at the NHL level.
Early life
Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Hayes is the eldest sibling among four children. While participating in various athletic activities during his youth, he ultimately concentrated on ice hockey. He competed in minor hockey with the Calgary Northstars within the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL), where he tallied one goal and totaled 10 points over 27 games in the 2015–16 campaign.
Junior
Chosen 184th overall in the 2014 Western Hockey League (WHL) bantam draft, Hayes had a short stint with the Canmore Eagles of the AJHL prior to committing to Prince Albert. After accumulating 29 points across 144 WHL contests, he earned the role of an alternate captain for the Raiders during the 2018–19 season. That year, Prince Albert secured the Ed Chynoweth Cup and advanced to compete in the 2019 Memorial Cup, where their journey concluded following round-robin competition.
Elevated to Raiders' team captain for the 2019–20 season, Hayes achieved personal bests with seven goals, 16 assists, and led his team with a +37 plus–minus rating over 60 games. His major junior tenure concluded with totals of 15 goals and 79 points in 272 appearances.
Professional
On April 6, 2020, Hayes inked a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Subsequently, on March 30, 2021, he secured a three-year, entry-level contract with Vegas effective from the 2021–22 NHL season. Hayes debuted in the NHL on March 21, 2022, during a game that ended in a 3–0 defeat against the Minnesota Wild.
During the 2022–23 AHL season, Hayes started with Henderson but was traded on November 30, 2022, to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations and assigned to their AHL team, the Chicago Wolves. After contributing three points over 14 games, he was dealt again at the NHL trade deadline to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Jack Dugan. He wrapped up that season playing for New Jersey’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Following the expiration of his contract with New Jersey, Hayes signed a one-year agreement on September 19, 2023, with Finnish Liiga outfit Vaasan Sport, brought in to strengthen their defensive corps after an injury to Valtteri Hietanen. After completing one season abroad, he returned to North America by signing a one-year AHL contract on July 22, 2024, with the Laval Rocket, affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens.
On July 2, 2025, Hayes committed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Admirals for participation in the upcoming 2025–26 AHL season.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | 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 | Canmore Eagles | AJHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 72 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 71 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 98 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 68 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 74 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2019–20 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 60 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 35 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 54 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Vaasan Sport | Liiga | 53 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 119 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Laval Rocket | AHL | 46 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and distinctions
| Honour ! Year |
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External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- 1999 births
- Ice hockey players from Calgary
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Canmore Eagles players
- Chicago Wolves players
- Henderson Silver Knights players
- Laval Rocket players
- Prince Albert Raiders players
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Utica Comets players
- Vaasan Sport players
- Vegas Golden Knights players
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland