Barrett Hayton Shines in Start of Preseason for Coyotes

Barrett Hayton led the Arizona Coyotes with two goals through the team's preseason games in Australia against the Los Angeles Kings.

While Logan Cooley got a lot of the attention coming out of the Arizona Coyotes two preseason games in Australia against the Los Angeles Kings, Barrett Hayton is another young center that should not be forgotten.

Hayton finished the 2023 NHL Global Series with two goals as he led the team in that category.

The 23-year-old really took off last season tallying 19 goals, 24 assists and 43 points while playing all 82 games. Hayton trained hard during the offseason in preparation to build upon the year he just had.

“I definitely put a ton of work in this offseason,” Hayton said. “I always choose a couple things to dig in on, things I learned from the previous year. I think last year obviously was a unique year for me I guess. It was a big learning curve. I was excited going into last summer knowing what it takes and what you have to do to have that success. So being able to build on things like that, that I learned and saw and just get reps over the summer.”

Last season, the Coyotes had a productive first line consisting of Hayton, Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Through the start of the preseason, this line seems to have kept up its chemistry and has not missed a beat.

“Yeah, I think that's what we were trying to do,” Hayton said on picking up where his line left off from last season. “I think there is definitely just some time that comes with getting more reps and stuff like that. Obviously I think we have had four practices and these two games. Yeah, I think there are definitely some looks that are familiar. You can see some chemistry, but we definitely still have a lot to work on.”

It will be interesting to see what Hayton’s role with the Coyotes is going into the 2023-24 campaign. With both Cooley and Hayton down the middle as the team’s top two centers, coach André Tourigny will have some decisions to make when it comes to the usage of these two players.

Hayton has certainly gotten off to a hot start through the beginning of training camp and the preseason which is a great sign for a player looking to prove he can be a reliable top-six center for the Coyotes.