Hayden doesn’t necessarily possess the physical tools to make him a high-end prospect in this year’s draft, but that certainly didn’t stop him from scoring like on as he finished tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 7 points in 4 games. He makes up for his lack of elite tools with very high-end processing and puck distribution, consistently making quick and accurate reads to connect plays in transition and allow his line to play with pace and tempo up the ice. He’s a really smart off-puck player in the offensive zone as well, anticipating play at a high level to pick off passes along the end boards and set up teammates in the middle of the ice off the turnover. He was a very effective rush playmaker as well, consistently threading passes through traffic while in motion that found linemates in the middle of the ice and allowed his line to generate dangerous chances off the rush.

Hayden is one of the more skilled offensive players to come out of Nova Scotia this season, and his play in this tournament finally got me to see him in the same guise as some of the other upper echelon Maritimes players. He’s a player who is always looking to have the puck on his stick and lead the rush attack for his team, either by picking the puck up in his own zone or taking good routes in the neutral to get himself open and catch pucks in stride to enter the zone with speed. He consistently flashed high-end puck skills and confidence to try things when he entered the zone, opting to take defenders one on one to work his way around them and draw pressure towards him from the other end of the ice to compensate before slipping pucks cross-ice to open teammates. A large majority of his puck touches saw him try to force pucks to the middle of the ice, which sometimes lead to dangerous chances, but other times were easily blocked and lead to a loss of possession. He’s a really intelligent off-puck player a well, constantly moving his feet in the offensive zone to jump in and out of pockets of ice to get himself open and make himself a dangerous passing option in the slot.

I came to appreciate Hayden’s game more and more as the tournament went along, learning that while he may not wow you with any dynamic plays or high-end physical tools, the high-end processing, spatial awareness and passing ability might make him one of the more effective forwards to come out of Nova Scotia this year. I thought he was taking really strong routes as a puck-carrier in transition, consistently working his way into space so that he could operate and leverage his playmaking to get pucks to teammates. There may not have been a player throughout the entire tournament who was able to execute passes to the slot as frequently as Hayden, using a variety of different methods to do so as well and demonstrating a versatility to his game. He could thread pucks through traffic from off the halfwall, drive wide around defenders and hook passes up high into space or even execute passes from below the goal line while dealing with pressure from a defender. He certainly didn’t shy away from physical play either, often engaging in board battles and providing support while fishing pucks out of scrums to prolong cycle sequences.

Hayden proved to be one of the more versatile attackers throughout the event, doing equal damage off the rush and off the cycle. He was able to adapt quickly off the rush to what the defenders were giving him, either cutting laterally up high if they backed off or executing quick short area passes to a teammate if pressure was approaching him. Along the perimeter in the offensive zone he was one of the more effective forwards at withstanding contact, spinning off it and getting himself into space before throwing a puck to the middle of the ice looking to generate chances. His strength helped him come out on top in most puck battles, helping him secure possession and generate more puck touches in the offensive zone as a consequence. Off-puck in the offensive zone he had a knack for getting himself to the front of the net just as a loose puck would jump out so he could get a dangerous chance in close. He earned himself a spot on the QMJHL Cup roster with his performance, where I expect him to be a highly effective middle-six forward for Nova Scotia.

Hayden’s intelligent puck distribution was on full display in this one, consistently setting up his teammates for scoring chances with accurate passing and quick processing ability. He was able to connect on plenty of passes in the neutral zone, threading pucks through sticks and bodies to teammates in space who could then gain the offensive blueline. He showed good anticipation in the offensive zone as well, picking off passes along the boards before executing quick counterattack passes to the middle of the ice that lead to a few dangerous chances. He assisted on the game-tying goal late in the third when connected on a backhand saucer pass to the middle of the ice that was buried by Benjamin Veitch.

Hayden was one of the main play drivers for Nova Scotia throughout this game, showcasing some excellent playmaking to consistently get pucks to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone to generate high danger scoring chances. His processing ability kept him one or two steps ahead of the play, allowing him to make quick passes on his puck touches and catch defenders off guard on multiple occasions. In one sequence he even delivered a slick one touch behind the back pass from below the goal line that even caught his teammate off guard who wasn’t able to receive the pass. Off-puck Hayden was consistently getting himself into good positions in the offensive zone, always keeping his feet moving to bounce in and out of loose pockets of space and reassessing his routes to get to the front of the net.

Hayden’s competitive and energetic style of play made him nearly impossible to notice throughout this game. He was always first on the forecheck looking to create havoc and stymie Team Green’s breakout attempts. I thought he was doing a great job as well at using his frame to win inside positioning on defenders and win battles for loose pucks in the dirty areas. With the puck on his stick Hayden was using his body effectively to shield the puck and operate around the perimeter with prolonged puck possession. He made a great pass off the rush in the first period that found its way through multiple defenders and landed right on the stick of a teammate for a tap in goal.