Hayton signs entry level contract with Coyotes
Peterborough native Barrett Hayton signed a three-year entry-level contract Friday with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the Coyotes.
Hayton was selected in the first round, fifth overall and the top Canadian, by the Coyotes in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft last month.
That’s the highest ever that a Peterborough native has been selected in the NHL draft and was the fourth year in a row that a Peterborough minor hockey product had been taken in the first round of the NHL draft (Mitchell Stephens in 2015, Riley Stillman in 2016 and Owen Tippett in 2017).
“We are very pleased to sign Barrett to an entry-level contract,” Coyotes general manager John Chayka stated.
“Barrett is a very talented player with a great work ethic. He had a strong development camp and we look forward to his progress this season.”
A centre, Hayton, 18, had 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points with 32 penalty minutes in 63 games with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last season. He finished with a plus-24 rating and helped his team set singleseason franchise records for wins and points in 2017-18.
He was also awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy as the 2018 OHL Scholastic Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had 30 goals and 57 assists for 87 points in 126 games in his two seasons with the Hounds.
Hayton has been invited to attend Team Canada’s World Junior Showcase from July 28 to Aug. 4 in Kamloops, B.C.
He threw out the ceremonial opening pitch at the July 3 Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game.