John Hayden

John Hayden (born February 14, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey center who is currently playing for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Hayden was born in Chicago, Illinois but immediately moved to Denver, Colorado before settling in Greenwich, Connecticut with his family when he was eight years old. As a youth, he played in the 2007 and 2008 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the New Hampshire Nike Bauer minor ice hockey team, and then with the Detroit Honeybaked team. He attended Brunswick School before committing to play hockey at Yale University. Playing career Hayden was drafted by his hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round, 74th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, after playing two seasons within the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Upon the completion of his collegiate career, captaining the Bulldogs as a senior in the 2016–17 season, Hayden embarked on his professional career in agreeing to a two-year, entry-level contract on March 15, 2017. He immediately began his contract in making his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on March 16, 2017. In his second game he scored his first NHL goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 18, 2017.