Hounds add Team USA champ
Soo Greyhounds are clearly all in as they chase an Ontario Hockey League championship. The Greyhounds have traded for 19-year old forward Gavin Hayes, acquiring the Team USA World Junior Hockey gold medal champion from the Flint Firebirds for two players and a house full of draft picks.
In exchange for Hayes, the Greyhounds — who are tied for second place among the 10 teams of the OHL’s Western Conference — parted with 18-year old forward Connor Clattenburg, 17-year old forward Alex Kostov, a second round draft pick in 2027, a third rounder in 2025, a fourth rounder in 2026 and a fifth rounder in 2025.
To be sure, Hayes represents a prime acquisition by the Greyhounds. In 158 regular season games with Flint, the 6-foot-2, 180 pound forward produced 79 goals, 87 assists, 166 points. He also had five goals, nine assists, 14 points in 26 playoff games for the Firebirds, who originally selected the Michigan product in the first round of the 2020 OHL priority selections draft.
Hayes was since drafted — and signed — by the Chicago Blackhawks, who took the skilled skater in the third round of the 2022 National Hockey League draft. He is also the older brother of Greyhound rookie forward Travis Hayes.
Meanwhile, the Greyhounds also paid big to obtain overage forward Jacob Frasca and an eighth round draft pick from the Barrie Colts. To get the 6-foot-5, 215 pound power forward, the Greyhounds parted ways with overage forward Brenden Sirizzotti as well as future second, third and fourth round draft picks.