Barrett Hayton isn’t dwelling on the adversity he has faced in his short NHL career.
In fact, he’s thriving because of it.
Hayton, who inked a two-year deal with the Utah Hockey Club on July 8, was limited to just 35 games last season after suffering two separate injuries. The developments were a tough blow to the 24-year-old forward following a stellar finish to the 2022-23 season in which he notched the third-most points (38) in the final 49 games for the then-Arizona Coyotes.
He had seemingly gotten back on track after a rough start to that season statistically speaking, only to be met with an injury-riddled campaign the following year.
As far as Hayton is concerned, those challenges are a recipe to help him lead a young club into a new era of NHL hockey in Utah.
“My ultimate goal, and our team’s ultimate goal, is to win a championship,” Hayton said. “There’s plenty of adversity, and fight, and so much you have to overcome through that process, so all that adversity some day will hopefully prepare me for that.
“When you can say you went through it, and the things you learn throughout that process, just that experience, it helps, and it just gives you a bit more of a feel for what guys are going through and how you can help them.”
Hayton excelled in Juniors with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, posting 66 points in 39 games as the team’s captain in 2018-19. The very next season he helped Team Canada earn a gold medal at the World Junior Championships where he finished with the second-most goals (6) and points (12), was named a top-3 player on the team, and was named to the tournament’s All-Star team.
He has dealt with high expectations since he was selected fifth overall at the 2018 NHL Draft, but has earned the trust of Utah’s coaching staff after centering the top line between four-time All-Star Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz throughout most of the 2022-23 season. He’s shown an uncanny ability to win faceoffs, leading the team that season with a 51.9 percent success rate.
That success at the dot continued into last season, where again he led the team with a 49.8 percent clip, and critical situations seem to be when he’s at his best.
“I cherish those challenges at the end of the game. Up a goal, down a goal, big power play, big penalty kill, whatever it is, I want to be out there taking that draw,” Hayton said. “The competitor side and obviously working on it a lot throughout the way has been something that has given me some success.”
Faceoffs are a craft, perfected over time. Considering the level of talent in the NHL, it’s rare someone as young as Hayton experiences so much of it at the dot.
He’s a student of the game, studying the tendencies and methods of some of the league’s top players, and said it’s not always about the proverbial “clean win.”
“It’s just learning to adapt and understand that if you’re on your forehand side against certain guys, you’re not trying to win it clean, you’re trying to get that 50/50 puck where you give your team the opportunity to win that possession,” Hayton said. “Some of it is just understanding situations and what your matchup looks like.”
He said he’s continuing to log “a ton of work” in the offseason, and he’s excited to re-join a club that recently made big moves, including the additions of defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole, as well as forward Kevin Stenlund.
Hayton expects training camp, which kicks off in just a few months, to be more competitve than what he’s seen in years, and is excited for what lies ahead. Winning is in his DNA, and with slumps and injuries in the rearview mirror, the forward is excited to head full speed ahead with a promising, young team in Utah.
The bumps and bruises along the way have prepared him for whatever’s next.
“When you’re going through it it’s never fun, but I think those challenges are just something that make you stronger,” Hayton said. “Ultimately you never know when those are going to make the difference for you.”
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