Hayton convinced Coyotes ‘there was really no reason not to take him’

GLENDALE, Ariz. – San Antonio Rampage coach Drew Bannister protected his sources while delivering an important piece of information.

“I’m telling you that if the Coyotes had a pick at No. 5 and a pick at No. 10, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get Barrett Hayton at 10,” Bannister said Tuesday. “There were two teams that were just past where Arizona was picking that wanted him, and there was one team right in front of them that was seriously considering picking him or trading down and picking him.”

So if Arizona's guy was Hayton, I don't think there was wiggle room to trade down. I believe CHI liked him a lot. https://t.co/utPCmWSphd

— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 23, 2018

Jim Benning just told @Sportsnet650 Canucks had the same 7 players that went 1-7 on their board, just in a different order…

— Scott Rintoul (@ScottRintoul) June 25, 2018

What does the coach of the St. Louis Blues’ American Hockey League affiliate have to do with the Coyotes’ surprising first-round pick (No. 5) in the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas last weekend? Bannister coached Hayton the past two seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Blues hired him three weeks ago after the Greyhounds posted a franchise-best 55-7-3-3 mark in 2018, and a Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s regular-season champion.

Bannister may be biased toward his former player, but he has good reason for that bias.

“This kid is an outstanding hockey player and an outstanding person; a very mature young man,” Bannister said.

Time, not those instant, post-draft grades, will tell if the Coyotes made the right choice in selecting Hayton and passing on Czech wing Filip Zadina, but general manager John Chayka held firm when he addressed a sizeable gathering of local media at a press conference to kick off Coyotes prospect development camp at Gila River Arena on Monday.

“We’re not averse to selecting wingers; obviously we take some,” Chayka said. “But all things being equal, we’re taking premium positions at the draft. That’s what it’s about. That’s the one time where there’s no acquisition cost but the pick you’re given.

I kept harping on Chayka's belief that premium positions warrant some weight when making selections, even if he downplayed it a bit the other day. I think it's especially true when you have a pick this high. The Coyotes get a center. Never can have too many of those. More soon.

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) June 23, 2018

“When you look at teams with long-term success, which is what we need here in Arizona to be successful, they build through the draft and they build up the middle. The plan isn’t all that difficult. It’s not tricky. It’s just about being disciplined and sticking to it. If there’s one thing we can do here, it’s being disciplined.”

A preponderance of scouting reports had Hayton ranked just outside the top 10. That’s a fact that shouldn’t be ignored, but it should be tempered by the myriad inaccuracies that come to light in those draft rankings five to 10 years down the road. None of it mattered to Hayton as he stepped inside Gila River Arena this week and took the ice for the first time.

“I’m a guy that doesn’t really need extra motivation because it’s already there,” he said. “But definitely coming in and seeing the room and seeing the rink … it’s definitely extra motivation to do everything you can to earn a spot as soon as possible.”

Both Chayka and Bannister think there may be a simple explanation for Hayton’s next-10 draft ranking. He played on an uber-talented team. Hayton finished sixth on the team with 60 points (21 goals) in 63 games.

“I don’t think it’s a negative that he played second fiddle in certain instances,” Chayka said. “Being on a top team and being surrounded by a bunch of great players, it’s a really positive learning experience for him. At the same time, I think it does impact your ability to have some flash or put up points. “

Bannister confirmed that assessment.

“He played behind some highly skilled players that were a little bit older, so he had to fight to find his ice time and he had to play in different situations,” he said. “The thing that stands out for me with Barrett is how well he played in critical moments for us and this is going back to him being a 16-year-old for us in the playoffs two years ago.

“He was basically our best player in the playoffs as a 16-year-old and continued that in my opinion when we went to the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in August. I thought he was arguably the best forward on Canada and the best forward in the tournament.

“If you watched the games again this season, he was our most valuable and most effective player in the playoffs with how consistent he was.”

While Hayton’s stats were well below team leaders Morgan Frost (112 points) and Boris Katchouk (85 points), Bannister said “he seemed to find a way to find ice time whenever opportunity arose.” He played on the top power play, showing an uncanny ability to retrieve pucks and a willingness to create net-front presence. When Katchouk left to play in the world junior championships, he jumped up to the top line with Frost and the line excelled. When the team lost Hayden Verbeek to injury in the playoffs, Bannister said Hayton became the team’s top penalty killer.

“There’s no doubt we had a super talented team where a lot of guys contributed, but I think Barrett still showed how valuable he is by playing in a lot of situations,” Frost said during a break in Philadelphia Flyers development camp on Tuesday. “He’s just a really smart player who always knows where to be, knows what to do with the puck. We all knew he was going to be a high pick this year.”

With a few of Sault Ste. Marie’s top players departing, Bannister said Hayton will have the opportunity to put up bigger offensive numbers next season – “upwards of 90 or 100 points”– but his complete game is what sold the Coyotes’ scouts on Hayton. It’s what Coyotes forward prospect coach Mark Bell saw when he watched every game of the six-game, OHL championship series between Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie, even if Hayton lost some puck battles due to fatigue.

It’s what drove Chayka’s admitted obsession with the player after Christmas.

“Everyone wants that one thing that kind of jumps off the page at you and it’s easy to see and grab onto,” Chayka said. “What makes him special is that he’s really good at everything. Being that play-making center through the middle of the ice that is a dedicated 200-foot guy, that’s why those centermen that are like that are impossible to acquire.

“Whether it’s his athleticism, whether it’s his underlying data, whether it’s our in-person views, whether it’s our video views, across the board he just checked all the boxes so there was really no reason not to take him.”

Hayton is focused on developing more explosiveness in his skating and bulking up over the next year, but Bell said he’ll have a few more ideas for his pupil once he gets a chance to work with Hayton a little more.

“It’s definitely been a whirlwind, especially with the quick turnaround and coming here,” Hayton said. “It’s something I’m just trying to take in stride and it’s something you dream about from a very young age.

“It almost feels like you’re prepared for it, and it’s a goal of yours to get into the NHL as soon as possible, but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg being drafted. I feel like it’s just an opportunity to start toward your real dream. What it really means is there’s a lot of work ahead.”

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