Coyotes’ Barrett Hayton named captain of Team Canada at World Juniors

Arizona Coyotes rookie Barrett Hayton is back for another year of World Junior Championship hockey with Team Canada, and this time, he’s the squad’s captain.

The U-20 tournament, which got underway Thursday, is Hayton’s second. He was part of last year’s sixth-place Canada team and played five games, scoring four assists with a plus-8 rating.

He also now has NHL experience under his belt with the Coyotes, who loaned Hayton to Team Canada after he had repeatedly been a healthy scratch. He is expected to return to the Coyotes when his duties with Team Canada in World Juniors are complete.

The alternate captains are Ty Smith (New Jersey Devils defensive prospect), Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings forward prospect) and Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars forward prospect). Those three also played in last year’s World Junior Championship. 

With Arizona this year, Hayton has played 14 games and scored a goal with three assists. He has averaged 11:08 of ice time per game.

As a junior player, Hayton played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was drafted fifth overall by the Coyotes in 2018.

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