On Jun. 28, something pretty special happened for Pittsburgh Penguins' forward prospect Avery Hayes.
Fresh off of signing a two-year entry level contract with the Penguins at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Hayes got to watch as his brother's name was called from the podium during the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Travis Hayes - selected in the fourth round (105th overall) by Pittsburgh on that day - officially became a member of the Penguins, following in the footsteps of Avery. Now, as training camp is officially underway for the 2025-26 season, the brothers get to share the ice, just as they did at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo last week.
“It’s been awesome," Travis said. "Obviously, going to Buffalo and playing with him, then got a few shifts with him [in camp] and seeing him out here, his practice habits and stuff… yeah, it’s great.”
And Travis isn't the only family member Avery got to unite with during the first weekend of training camp. The USHL Fall Classic also took place at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in the evenings following the first three days of camp - and Avery's and Travis's, brother, Eli, is competing for the Honeybaked Hockey Club out of Detroit - a team that Penguins' forward Bryan Rust used to play for and, ironically, one that has yet another Penguins' connection.
"Rutger [McGroarty's] dad, Jimmy, is the head coach of the team, which is funny," Hayes laughed. "So, it's pretty cool.
Avery and Travis attended one of Eli's games on Saturday evening, and they also got to reunite with their own father at the event.
"It’s really cool to see all of them," Avery said. "I don’t get to see them at all during the season, so it's nice."
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And even if the family business is a welcome thing for Avery, he knows there is other business to attend to as well - which includes trying to stay in Pittsburgh beyond training camp.
Undrafted, Hayes initially joined the Penguins' organization when he signed a two-year AHL contract prior to the 2023-24 season. His first season was riddled with injury, but he really began to make a name for himself and the type of player he is in 2024-25.
A scrappy, effort-driven forechecking forward, he kicked off that campaign with a standout performance at the Prospects Challenge, followed by a strong training camp showing. He carried all of that momentum into the AHL regular season, when he put up 23 goals and 42 points in 60 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).
The practice habits Travis referred to - as well as his skillset - are well-known to his teammates by now, as they certainly translate to game days and in trying to stand out at training camp.
“He works hard and looks really shifty out there," said forward Rickard Rakell , who is in Hayes's training camp group. "He’s hard to catch. He’s a smaller guy but quick with the puck. Good with the puck. Plays with a lot of confidence.”
Here's a snippet of Travis (73) and Avery (85) Hayes skating on opposite teams in the 4v4 drill. #LetsGoPenspic.twitter.com/6B93jn0nNr
— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) September 20, 2025
And that nod of confidence from the organization in the form of that two-year NHL contract this summer opened up an opportunity for Hayes to vye for an NHL roster spot. It's an opportunity he's grateful for and that he doesn't want to waste, and to go up against guys like Rakell and Bryan Rust in drills during camp is giving him a taste of what's expected at the NHL level.
“It’s awesome," Hayes said. "Those are the guys that you want to be going up against and playing with in the future. That’s the kind of standard to make it. So, they’re great players, and it really pushes me to be better.
"I also get to play with great players, too, which is awesome. You get to see how they kind of think the game and play off them. So, it’s a really cool experience. You don’t really want to get starstruck in the moment, you just want to go out there and play.”
And he's taking a thing or two from those great players.
“Just the details. I mean, they compete," Hayes said. "They’re guys that have been playing in the NHL for 10-plus years, some of them. They treat every rep like it’s a Game 7. So, I’d say that’s the biggest thing and just how fast-paced and competitive it is."
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Hayes is slated to be in the lineup for Pittsburgh's first pre-season game on Monday in Montreal against the Canadiens, and he will be competing with - and against - several forwards who figure to be in contention for a final roster spot along with him, including Tristan Broz, Rafeal Harvery-Pinard, Sam Poulin, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, and Robby Fabbri.
So what does Hayes need to do in order to separate himself? It's simple: just be himself and take things day-by-day.
"Just play my game and be myself," Hayes said. "I mean, it got me this far, so I just have to continue to play with confidence and just take it one day at a time, take it one practice at a time. Honestly, I’m not looking too far into the future. Just taking it one day at a time.”
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