Travis Hayes, taken by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft, has been told he takes after his brother Avery.
That’s quite the compliment, considering how highly the organization thinks of Avery.
“Avery is a great kid. He’s worked and earned everything that he’s gotten,” said Amanda Kessel, Pittsburgh’s director of minor league operations and assistant GM of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“He’s a really good player. He’s an all-around player who can kind of do everything. He has a knack for scoring. He’ll fight somebody six or seven inches taller than him. It’s tough to find a player like him.”
Fortunately, when it was time for Avery to turn pro, Pittsburgh had an inside track. Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas had been watching the now 22-year-old forward since a strong 2021-22 campaign with the OHL’s Brantford (formerly Hamilton) Bulldogs.
Hayes helped lead his team to an OHL Championship, scoring 41 goals in 66 regular-season games before potting 14 goals in 16 playoff games. Dubas, then with Toronto, liked what he saw. That got Hayes an invite to Maple Leafs development camp that summer.
Hayes split the following season between Brantford and Peterborough, continuing his torrid offensive pace and making another trip to the Memorial Cup, this time with the Petes.
“In both years, I was on really good teams. I feel like when you're on a good team, it just makes it easy for everyone to have success. It helps everyone in the long run,” Hayes said.
While he tried to stay in the moment, there was some anxiety around his future, as the undrafted forward didn’t have any concrete plans. That’s when Dubas and Jason Spezza, now part of Pittsburgh’s management, got in touch – offering him a two-year American Hockey League contract.
“I had familiarity with Kyle and Jason (Spezza),” Hayes said. “I just felt like it was the best opportunity for me to get a chance right away to kind of make a name for myself. It ended up working out. From the first development camp, just the way they talked about the players they wanted and how to play the game, I feel like it fit me perfectly.”
His first season got off to a challenging start, as Hayes got hurt early in the year, and played only 29 games. But the silver lining was spending more time with head skating coach Jeff Murray.
“I feel like that was a big thing for me, working on my skating. Because being a smaller guy, you have to have the skating if you want to play in the NHL,” said Hayes, who is 5-10 and 184 pounds. “I learned so much then. It was probably a blessing in disguise, which I didn't realize. You just want to play, but looking back now, it was amazing for me. It helped so much. Then you have all the other skills coaches coming every week. Like, it's perfect. I mean, you have everything you can ask for.”
Avery took everything he learned back home to Michigan, where he grew up, and had a productive summer of training with all three of his brothers.
Avery is the oldest, followed by Gavin, a 2022 third-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks; Travis, who plays junior hockey for the Soo Greyhounds; and Elijah, whom the Soo Greyhounds took in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection.
“We all work out together, which is great. Makes it competitive and fun, and we can all drive together and stuff,” Avery said.
In the midst of that, a message from Penguins management resonated with Avery.
“I remember going into development camp and the rookie tournament, they said that everyone’s going to be on the same playing field no matter what you’re signed to, no matter who you are,” Hayes said. “Honestly, that was perfect for me coming in as an undrafted player signed to an AHL deal. They truly gave everyone the same opportunity.”
That, paired with familiarity he didn’t have the previous year, which bred a lot more confidence, helped Hayes put together a strong 2024-25 campaign. Hayes stood out at the Prospects Challenge and kept it going from there, with former head coach Mike Sullivan comparing him to Mats Zuccarello. Hayes set career highs in all major statistics, with 17 goals, 18 assists, 35 points, and a plus-17.
It resulted in his first NHL contract that spring, an emotional moment for the entire family.
“I’ve been working towards that for my whole life, and there’s been times where I’ve felt like I was deserving of some stuff and nothing ever came from it,” Hayes said. “So, to get that finally, I’m just super grateful and thankful and excited for the next couple of years.”
“It's obviously a cool story for him,” Travis said. “I see all the work he puts in and everything behind the scenes. Nobody really sees that stuff. So, seeing him sign that, and him telling all the brothers, it was a pretty cool moment, for sure.”
