As the Utah Hockey Club inches closer to their first season in the NHL, they signed center Barrett Hayton to a 2-year, $5,300,000 contract. The young center is entering his sixth season in the NHL and looking to have a bounce-back year after an injury-plagued 2023-2024 season.
Early Career
Hayton was drafted fifth overall in the 2018 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He was advertised as a strong two-way player who would be an asset for special teams.
“He has great hockey sense, can play the power play or penalty kill, and is projected to transition into a solid two-way NHL center,” Craig Button said ahead of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Hayton signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club in July of 2018 and would begin the 2018-19 season with the Arizona Coyotes but was a healthy scratch for the first two games. Upon returning to juniors, he was named captain of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. With the Greyhounds, Hayton achieved career highs in the OHL with 26 goals, 40 assists, and 66 points in 39 games, recording a career-best 1.69 points per game. A PPG that ranked second on his team and third in the league.
On October 10, 2019, Hayton made his NHL debut with the Coyotes, becoming the seventh-youngest player in team history at 19 years and 123 days old. He earned his first NHL point with a secondary assist on Nick Schmaltz‘s goal during a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Hayton scored his first NHL goal, which was a game-winner against the New Jersey Devils on October 25.
Later that season, he was appointed captain of Team Canada for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he tallied 12 points (six goals, six assists) in seven games, leading the team to a gold medal. Yet, the most memorable moment of this tournament was his “helmet scandal” against Russia.
After a tough loss in the group stage, Hayton was caught up in the disappointment and forgot to remove his helmet during the Russian national anthem. This would be the first drama of his young career, the Canada captain needing to issue a formal apology for the mistake.
NHL Career
In his first full season in the league, Hayton had 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points across 82 games. Hayton has spent much of the last couple of seasons as the center on Arizona’s top line, with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on his wings. That line combination ranks among the NHL’s most productive and consistent at driving play.
However, on November 14, 2023, Hayton suffered an upper-body injury in Arizona’s overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. He missed over two months before returning to the line-up. However, the young center could not catch a break during the 2023-2024 season and would suffer a lower-body injury in March, cutting his season short at just 33 games.
Hayton had three goals and seven assists in his 33 games last season and will no doubt be looking to improve that number on all fronts heading into a new season with a new club.
If he can stay healthy, Hayton is projected to be the first-line-centre for the Utah Hockey Club this season, playing alongside his usual line-mates Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
Due to his absence last season, it is unlikely Hayton will start the season on the first power play unit; however, with his special teams skills, he could work his way up to the first unit by the end of the season. Whether it has been because of injury or just the fact that he is still young, Hayton is a somewhat inconsistent player. However, his strong hockey sense and playmaking abilities could lead him to a first power-play unit spot if he can gain some consistency. Something that should come with more experience.
Alongside strong, young talent, if he plays a full 82 games, this season will likely be a career-best year for Hayton. Hayton-Keller has the potential to become a strong scoring duo in the league within the years to come, and a move to a new city may be the clean slate he needs to shake the injury bug from last year. With every year of experience, his playmaking skills will improve and catch up with the league.
