Full of praise for Travis Hayes
The list of names who have captained the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League with honour and distinction since their debut season of 1972 is an impressive one, to put it mildly. To be sure, current Hounds captain Travis Hayes is in select company — and deservedly so.
A 2007 birth year forward from the Metro Detroit area who is in his fourth OHL season with the Greyhounds after being drafted in the second round by the Soo in 2023, Hayes is of average build — but well above average when it comes to work ethic, character, leadership and hockey ability.
“He is a relentless worker who sets high standards for himself and teammates,” Greyhounds head coach Drew Bannister relayed to Hockey News North in praise of Hayes. “Travis is a selfless teammate … an emotional leader on the ice who drags others into the fight. He is a quality person all around.”
Scoring wise, Hayes is currently third in the Greyhound points parade with 14 — including seven goals — in 17 games. Hayes scored 14 goals as an OHL rookie followed by seasons of 24 and 17 tallies, respectively.
On pace for a 30-goal season this time around, Hayes has a lot to play for. He was a fourth round pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2025 National Hockey League Draft. And there are a lot of moving parts in play for Hayes ahead of next season.
Hayes could sign with Pittsburgh. He could return to the Soo and the OHL as an overage. Then there is the lure of playing at the Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association level.
It could well be a top NCAA program starting next season where Hayes ends up, depending of course on what the NHL Penguins might have planned in terms of a contract and further development. Either way, prominent player agent Eddie Mio of Octane Sports Management told me that “there are a lot of good NCAA programs who have talked to us about Travis going to play with them next season. There will be no shortage of good offers coming our way.”
Captains Corner. Since the Greyhounds came into the OHL in 1972, several players who wore the ‘C’ for the Soo have gone on to play in the NHL. In chronological order the list includes forward Paul Woods, defenseman Craig Hartsburg, defenseman Chris Felix, defenseman Bob Boughner, defenseman Trevor Daley, forward Jeff Carter, forward Tyler Kennedy, defenseman Colin Miller, defenseman Darnell Nurse and forward Barrett Hayton. Notably, Hartsburg went on to become a captain in the NHL with the old Minnesota North Stars before going on to coach with distinction for more than 25 years in the OHL and the NHL.
feature photo of Travis Hayes by Bob Davies
