Penguins Promising Prospect Is Impressing In AHL

Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Avery Hayes took a nice step forward with his development this past season.

In 42 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2025-26, he posted 24 goals, 39 points, and a plus-10 rating. Due to his strong AHL play, he also got into his first action with Pittsburgh last season. In 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2025-26, he scored five goals.

Hayes has spent the majority of this season back in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he is off to a strong start to the campaign. In 11 games so far this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has posted seven goals and 11 points.

With numbers like these, Hayes is continuing to show promise at the AHL level. Due to this, it would not be surprising if he gets more chances on Pittsburgh's roster before this season is over. He appeared in one game for Pittsburgh earlier this campaign against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 24, where he had three hits and five shots. 

It will now be interesting to see how the rest of Hayes' 2026-27 season goes. So far, the 24-year-old is having a good start to the campaign.