SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Avery Hayes has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending February 8, 2026.
Hayes scored four goals in two contests – including both game-winning goals – for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week while also having a memorable National Hockey League debut.
Hayes sparked the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over Hershey on Wednesday night, scoring the go-ahead goal with 12:05 remaining in regulation. He then got the call to join the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and became just the seventh player in NHL history to score two goals in the first period of his NHL debut, leading the team to a 5-2 win at Buffalo. Avery returned to Wilkes-Barre on Saturday and posted his first career hat trick, capped with the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory at Hershey.
Hayes has recorded 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points in 32 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2025-26, his third professional season. The 23-year-old native of Westland, Mich., has appeared in 121 career AHL contests with the Penguins, totaling 45 goals and 32 assists for 77 points. A two-time champion in the Ontario Hockey League, Hayes began his career on an AHL contract before signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh on Mar. 13, 2025.
