Arizona Coyotes’ Barrett Hayton named to top 50 prospect list
Jul 22, 2019, 10:15 AM | Updated: 10:48 am
Arizona Coyotes 2018 first-round draft pick center Barrett Hayton (22) skates behind forward Lane Pederson (93) at the team’s rookie camp at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Sept. 7, 2018. (Matt Layman/Arizona Sports)
(Matt Layman/Arizona Sports)
A list of the top 50 NHL prospects from The Athletic ranked Arizona Coyotes center Barrett Hayton No. 41 in the league.
The prospect ranking, which was created by Scott Wheeler, is comprised of players under the age of 23 who did not played in the majority of the team’s NHL games last season.
The center out of Peterborough, Ontario was taken fifth overall by the Coyotes in the 2018 NHL draft.
Last season he played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, the team he has been playing for since before being drafted.
RELATED STORIES
In his first season since being drafted, the 6-foot Hayton played in just 39 regular season games, missing time to injury.
Despite his condensed time during the season, he still managed to put up good numbers.
During the regular season, he scored 26 times and tallied 40 assists for a total of 66 points in addition to a plus/minus of plus-20. Hayton, the captain for the Greyhounds, also scored six times and had 10 assists during the playoffs.
Hayton’s goals scored and assists are both career highs.
Though he isn’t higher on the ranking, Wheeler believes Hayton can help the Coyotes in the future.
Does Hayton have the upside of a Quinn Hughes or an Evan Bouchard? Absolutely not. Can he be a line-driving middle-six center on a good team, while helping out on both special teams? Absolutely. Hayton is a coach’s dream and an effective two-way hockey player.
The Athletic gave the top spot to New Jersey Devils prospect Jack Hughes.
