John Hayden (born February 14, 1995) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who is currently playing for the

Coachella Valley Firebirds The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Thousand Palms, California, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the Seattle Kra ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) while under contract to the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL).

Early life

Hayden was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

but immediately moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

before settling in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and other ...

with his family when he was eight years old. As a youth, he played in the 2007 and 2008

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with the

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

Nike Bauer

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team, and then with the Detroit Honeybaked team. He attended

Brunswick School Brunswick School is a private, college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. History Brunswick School was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. The school is a ...

before committing to play hockey at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

Playing career

Hayden was drafted by his hometown team, the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

in the third round, 74th overall in the

2013 NHL Entry Draft The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was the 51st NHL Entry Draft. All seven rounds of the draft took place on June 30, 2013, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The top three selections were Nathan MacKinnon going to the Colorado Avalanche, Al ...

, after playing two seasons within the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...

in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

(USHL). Upon the completion of his collegiate career, captaining the Bulldogs as a senior in the 2016–17 season, Hayden embarked on his professional career in agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract on March 15, 2017. He immediately began his contract in making his NHL debut against the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

on March 16, 2017. In his second game he scored his first NHL goal against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

on March 18, 2017. John Hayden 2022

In his first full season with the Blackhawks in 2018–19, Hayden played in a fourth-line role, contributing with 3 goals and 5 points in 54 games. On June 22, 2019, at the

2019 NHL Entry Draft The 2019 NHL Entry Draft was the 57th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 21–22, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The first three selections were Jack Hughes going to the New Jersey Devils, Kaapo Kakko being sel ...

, Hayden was traded by the Blackhawks to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for

John Quenneville John Quenneville (born April 16, 1996) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing with the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). Quenneville was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the fir ...

. In the 2019–20 season, Hayden played in 43 games for the New Jersey Devils, playing in a fourth-line forward role recording 3 goals and an assist. As an impending restricted free agent, Hayden was not tendered a qualifying offer from the Devils and was released to free agency on October 8, 2020. On the following day, Hayden was signed by the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...

after agreeing to a one-year, $750,000 contract. In his lone season with the Coyotes in the pandemic shortened campaign, Hayden made 29 appearances, posting 2 goals and 5 points. As an impending restricted free agent, Hayden was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Coyotes, releasing him as a free agent. On July 29, 2021, Hayden was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Buffalo Sabres. On July 14, 2022, Hayden was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken.

Personal life

Hayden is the son of Diana and Mark Hayden. His brother, Will attended

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

and his sister Catherine plays for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

field hockey team. While attending Yale, Hayden majored in political science where he balanced his coursework while playing for the Blackhawks and graduated in 2017. He also worked as an intern for the Pelican Breeze apparel company.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, John 1995 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers Arizona Coyotes players Brunswick School alumni Buffalo Sabres players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Chicago Blackhawks players Coachella Valley Firebirds players Ice hockey players from Connecticut New Jersey Devils players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Seattle Kraken players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey players