Haye’s high-end motor and north-south attacking style made him one of the more effective forwards for Team Bergeron from start to finish. He was at his best with the puck on his stick attacking defenders head on, looking to work his way through the middle of the ice and leverage his speed and puck skills to break in alone. Haye even flashed a few impressive playmaking sequences while attacking off the rush by reading where the backchecking pressure was coming from, hitting a hard delay mid-zone then hitting the trailing option which lead to a shot on goal from the slot area. There were a few times where I thought he tried to force a few plays to the inside by cutting into traffic along the middle of the ice, but overall the consistent tenacity in Haye’s game was one of the bright spots on Team Bergeron.

There has been noticeable progression in Haye’s game since I last watched him on the national championship winning Mount St. Charles squad. He seems to be rapidly adjusting to his enlarged role on this South Kent roster, showing a great deal of confidence with the puck on his stick and acting as a catalyst for his team’s offence using his impressive puck skills and footwork to consistently generate scoring chances. His toolkit allows him to excel in isolated situations with defenders, showcasing his versatility as a puck carrier to beat his opponents in a myriad of ways whether thats winning one-on-one battles in more confined spaces of the o-zone using his strength and footwork or using powerful bursts of speed through the neutral zone and a quick set of hands to attack in transition and swiftly get behind opposing defensemen. I also thought he demonstrated strong playmaking traits with his ability to quickly spot open teammates in dangerous areas and find creative ways to fit pucks through traffic along with a good motor to become a noticeable forechecker and puck retriever in the offensive end.

The Newfoundland native was the straw that stirred the drink for the South Kent attack, tying for the team lead in points with 6 points in 4 games and consistently tilting the ice in his teams’ favour on a majority of his shifts. The strength and skill combination allowed him to be a major factor below the goal line in the offensive zone and initiate the cycle game on a consistent basis, using his frame to withstand contact with the puck and utilize his vision and spatial awareness to get the puck to dangerous areas. Off-puck in the offensive zone he constantly kept his feet moving, either looking to get himself into open pockets of space as a passing target or pressuring opposing defenders to force turnovers and win back possession of the puck. The quickness in conjunction with his puck skills allowed him to be a deadly transitional attacker as well, often pushing back defenders with his speed to create space up high for teammates or just carving through them one on one and getting chances in alone on the goaltender. It doesn’t look like he’ll be competing for his home province at the upcoming QMJHL Cup, but Haye’s play at this event should open the eyes for many QMJHL scouts and teams alike.

Once again Haye was a terror to deal with in transition, combining quick feet and hands that allow him to play with pace and tempo as he skates up the ice with the puck. He had a fantastic sequence in the middle frame where he executed a behind the back pass in the neutral zone, skated into space for a return pass then windmilled a defender 1v1 to earn himself a chance in tight that was denied. He created another dangerous chance off the rush late in the game when he anticipated backchecking pressure at the OZ circle, spun off a check then execute a backhand feed to the middle of the ice that lead to a shot from the mid slot.

Haye came out in this game like he was shot out of a cannon, helping set the tone for his team early on and even being a primary offensive catalyst. He was always looking to attack defenders head on with speed and work their way through them in order to gain access to dangerous scoring areas through sheer will. He scored his team’s first goal in this exact manner, attacking with speed off the rush, working around defenders with quick outside-inside moves and backhanding a puck high glove from in tight. He was willing to initiate contact in the neutral zone in order to create odd man advantages for his linemates, often inviting a pinching defender towards him before taking a cross check and slipping a puck to a streaking linemate.

Haye was very engaged on the forecheck, using his stick and physicality to harass opposing defenseman trying to exit the zone with his pressure leading to his team’s third goal when his line capitalized on a rebound after he won a battle for puck in front of the net. Early into the second period, he scored his first goal of the game with a beautiful shot from below the circle that snuck just under the bar and beat the goaltender and in the third period with his team up by a substantial margin, he was just as involved in plays giving that extra effort by diving to poke the puck off a Rockets player who had just stripped him of the puck, using his stick to break up plays on the penalty kill, and crashing the net to bury his second goal off a rebound with a minute to go.