Blackhawks prospect update: Gavin Hayes making himself relevant by emulating Zach Hyman

Credit Will Moran, one of the Blackhawks' player development staffers, for possibly unlocking something new inside Hawks forward prospect Gavin Hayes.

During a video coaching session a few weeks ago, Moran pulled up clips of Oilers forward Zach Hyman that he thought Hayes might learn from.

"[Will showed me] how [Hyman] gets to the back post and grits it up in front of the net," Hayes said Sunday. "That threw that in my head, and obviously, it has worked out."

It has worked out in that Hayes has erupted on a goal-scoring tear for the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, racking up six goals in his last eight games and 15 points in 22 games since Christmas.

Considering the 2022 third-round pick had previously recorded only 22 points in 77 career AHL games since the start of last season, this represents a major surge in production.

As a result, Hayes has become slightly relevant again within the Hawks' crowded prospect pool. He will become even more relevant if he keeps this up for the rest of the season.

The possibility of him developing into a bottom-six NHL player with some scoring pop seems to be back on the table, albeit far from assured.

"Gavin [has] had a lot of opportunities," Rockford coach Jared Nightingale said. "They weren't going in for him, but he kept a really good attitude and showed up with the same mindset each day, wanting to get better. I'm happy for him. He's had all those chances, and now they're starting to go in."

Hayes earned his first pro hat trick Saturday against San Diego. After scoring two pretty goals off rushes in the first period, he capped it off with a scrappy goal from the low slot.

In the rematch Sunday, his confidence was noticeably high as he maneuvered assertively around the offensive zone and tapped his stick to call for the puck whenever he slipped open. He didn't score, but he did generate one Grade A chance with a nifty deflection in front of the net.

"Gavin is really smart about being in the right spots at the right times," Nightingale said.

His ice time has increased in accordance with his play. After starting the season on the fourth line, he has become a staple in Rockford's top six and power-play units, taking advantage of open roles in the lineup created by injuries and call-ups.

"It was a slow start, and then I got in a groove and started playing a little bit more and started shooting the puck a little bit more, and the confidence came with that," Hayes said. "Bounces started going my way."

He's listed at 6-1, but he looks taller than that in person, and his physicality has also increased markedly this season.

"[I'm] holding onto [the puck] a little bit more, making plays, because I can see the ice pretty well," he added.

Fellow Hawks forward prospect Marek Vanacker previously mentioned Hyman as a stylistic model of his, too, although that might be in part because Hyman's family now owns the OHL club, Brantford, that Vanacker (and previously Nick Lardis) plays for.

Still, there's no denying the fact Hyman has carved out quite a career as a complementary winger with a knack for burying goals around the net, somewhat similarly to Hawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi.

Realistically, Hayes probably won't become a 54-goal scorer in the NHL. But considering he's only 21 (turning 22 in May), he could have plenty of development ahead of him.

Looking back at the Hawks' Day Two draft picks in 2022, Ryan Greene has already established himself as an NHL player while Hayes has begun to pace ahead of Samuel Savoie, Aidan Thompson and Paul Ludwinski (who are all also in Rockford). Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Dominic James' NHL success with the Lightning is frustrating to witness from afar.