Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Avery Hayes took a nice step in the right direction with his development this season. The 5-foot-10 forward appeared in his first 16 NHL games with Pittsburgh this season, where he recorded five goals, 12 penalty minutes, and 23 hits. This included him scoring two goals in his final NHL game of the season with Pittsburgh. Hayes earned his first look on Pittsburgh's roster this season, as he was excellent in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 42 games with the AHL club this campaign, he recorded 24 goals, 15 assists, 39 points, and a plus-10 rating. With this, he showed clear signs of improvement and has created more excitement about his future because of it. Due to how well Hayes played this season, it is clear that he is a breakout candidate to watch on the Penguins next season. The Westland, Michigan native has the tools to emerge as a full-time NHL player, and it would not be surprising if he taps into his offensive potential a bit more next season. If Hayes can break out next season, it would be big for a Penguins club that is looking to continue to trend in the right direction. It will be fascinating to see if he can do just that from here.
