FEATURE: Hayes Found New Confidence after Career Season in Flint

After he ranked second on the Flint Firebirds in points, Gavin Hayes found his competitive side in his standout performance last season.

The Blackhawks third round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft posted career high numbers with Firebirds this past season that he felt gave him a new boost of confidence after he gained more ice time on the team's power play and penalty kill units.

"I feel like I just got more confident [after] playing more on the power play, penalty kill and everything like that," Hayes said. "I just felt competitive."

In his second season in the OHL, the 6-foot-2 forward produced career highs with 41 goals and 40 assists through 66 games played. He recorded three hat tricks and also become the 11th player in the Firebirds history to reach 100 career OHL points.

He also helped the team advanced to the OHL playoffs for the second time in his career but fell short to the Saginaw Spirits in the first round of the tournament. The Firebirds fell 3-1 early in the series but made a last minute to game seven before they suffered a 6-3 loss.

"Obviously, you never want to go down 3-1 in a series, but we bounced back a little bit," Hayes said. "We didn't get the outcome we wanted, but it was still fun."

After the season ended, Hayes joined the rest of the Blackhawks prospects at this year's development camp that brought a new twist to their routine. Instead of a normal on-ice workout, the player took part in different off-ice activities that could help boost their skills in new ways.

This experience created a new benefit for the Michigan native to gain new strengths that can help him become a stronger player.

"I actually liked it a lot because I'm trying to put on some weight," Hayes said. "I feel like when I skate more, I lose a lot of weight, so I feel like it's better for me."

However, the Blackhawks development camp is not the only training he partakes in. Hayes, along with fellow prospects Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel, will take part in the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase for Team USA. They will take part in the evaluation camp in hopes of making the roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in December.

Once he competes with Team USA from July 27 - Aug. 4, Hayes hopes everything he learned from both camps will continue to impactful play when he rejoins the Flint Firebirds in the fall.

"I try do as best as I can at these camps and do as much as I can to take as much back when I'm going back to the OHL next year," Hayes said.