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OHL: Barrett Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie – 2018 Draft Eligible)

Barrett Hayton has been on scouts radar after impressing in the Ivan Hlinka as noted by Dennis Schellenberg in a review of the tournament for McKeens - "One forward that surprised was Barrett Hayton, who was dominant in the opponent’s offensive zone, mostly in a top-6 forward role. Impressed with tenaciousness in puck battles and played with a decent overall competitiveness. Strong on the stick, Hayton was hard to win battles and displayed fine puckhandling skills as he did not require a lot of space, and bought himself time with smart moves and toe-drags."

Hayton notably ranked first in the CHL Prospects game in off-ice testing across seven different categories. Ranking #18 on McKeen's December ranking, he appears to be a potential mid to late first round pick with some concerns as described by Scott Crawford in the detailed scouting report below.

Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Photo by Terrry Wilson / OHL Images.
Barrett Hayton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Photo by Terrry Wilson / OHL Images.
Barrett Hayton 2018 Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots L H/W: 6'1", 190 lbs.
Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL (44-17-25-42-18)

Skating: Hayton is an above average skater who can maneuver well in and around all three zones. In the defensive zone, he makes small strides to assist in protecting the puck and is also more cautious as to where he is skating. As he exits the defensive zone his strides become long, and he goes full out to try and beat his opponents to the offensive entry. In the offensive zone he uses a combination of both small and long strides to adjust his speed to create space for himself.  Grade: 60

Shot: Hayton has become a consistent goal scorer this year thanks in large part to his wrist shot. The wrister is quick and comparable to some of the best in the OHL. It has a quick release when he is skating towards the net and is accurate enough that it can move through small open spaces and into the net. The drawback to this area of his game is the lack of shot variety he possesses. He has an average slap shot, but there is no power to it and he tends to look at the puck when he shoots it and his wind up is not fast enough to beat a shot blocker. His snap shot is no different. Neither shot is accurate as they both sail wide when he is on an offensive rush or is being pressured to shoot. Grade: 50

Skills: Hayton is a phenominal puck handler. Between two players he can move around them in a quick motion, especially in the neutral zone. In his own end he is given a decent amount of responsibility to exit the zone with the puck and make a first pass. However, when he enters the offensive zone with more pressure coming his way, he struggles to move the puck around. He is unable to move the puck without one opposing player chasing him. He will either get trapped along the wall or he will dump it around the boards for a teammate to hopefully get to first. Grade: 55

Smarts: An interesting player when it comes to understanding hockey. He shows the capabilities of being a smart hockey player, but at times he is nowhere to be found in a game. Inconsistencies are the norm for Hayton because one period he will be everywhere and the next he will disappear. He can be a two-way forward with no issue because he works hard on both ends. His back checking is strong because he has the know-how to disrupt a play when it is coming to his own net. But on the transition play he is slow to respond to the upcoming play and it leaves a lot of questions.  Grade: 55

Physicality: When he competes, he competes! He will fight in the dirty areas in his own end and on offense he will make the tough plays to get the puck to his teammates. His physical play is impressive because he is willing to use his body to pin players to the boards and keep them there until his support man comes in to take away the puck. However, when he has the puck he will be unable to hold onto it when an opponent side checks. Grade: 55

Summary: Barrett Hayton is an interesting player that came out of nowhere this year and is making an impression worthy of a mid to late round first round draft pick. He has a very good coach and a team that competes every year. He displays a strong knowledge of the game that helps him to maneuver the puck around the ice. Away from the puck he can be a strong two-way forward that his coaches need in the dying minutes of the game. He possesses a strong wrist shot and can win a decent number of faceoffs. However, all these characteristics cannot take away from his inconsistent style of play that I am sure frustrates his coaches from time to time. His play in the offensive zone is up and down in the sense that he will be in the right area for a high scoring chance, but then will turn the puck over because he was trying too hard to get the puck on net. There are moments of brilliance, but equally there are moments of inconsistencies that take away scoring chances for the Greyhounds. His lack of puck control when he is facing a bigger opponent does not help him in the long run and his lack of shot selection will only make it harder for him to score once teams figure out a way to take his wrist shot away.

Overall Future Projection (OFP): 55