Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Avery Hayes has had quite the week.
He made his NHL debut for the Penguins on Thursday and notched two goals in the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. His first goal was his first shot on net in the first period after he beat two Sabres defenders to the puck and fired it past Alex Lyon.
His second goal came later in the first period when he took a brilliant feed from Anthony Mantha and went top-shelf to make it a 2-1 game heading into the first intermission. Hayes was called up earlier that afternoon since Noel Acciari was battling an illness.
Hayes is the 12th undrafted player to score multiple goals in his NHL debut in NHL history. He's also only the seventh player in NHL history to score multiple goals in the first period of his debut.
He was re-assigned to WBS on Friday before returning to the lineup against the Hershey Bears on Saturday. He had another game to remember, scoring a hat trick in Wilkes-Barre's 4-3 overtime win over Hershey.
Hayes opened the scoring on the power play after a really pretty feed from Rutger McGroarty. Hayes was at the side of the net and tucked the puck past Hershey goaltender Garin Bjorklund. He then made it 2-0 just a few minutes later, showcasing his wicked release while WBS was shorthanded.
Avery Hayes: Special teams king tonight pic.twitter.com/YgwTlPgp24
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2026
The game eventually went to overtime, and Hayes was the hero, scoring the game-winning goal on a one-timer on the power play. His stick broke as he fired the puck, but he scored anyway.
AVERY HAYES CALLS IT 🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/Xa6kgqHQTf
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2026
It won't be long until Hayes is a full-time NHL player.
WBS is now 32-12-2-2 and has won five in a row heading into the AHL All-Star Break.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!