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Montreal Canadiens Prospects Profile: Hayden Hawkey

By Mat Germain

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AWH PROSPECT PROFILE: HAYDEN HAWKEY

Welcome to a new focus that AWH will be taking on from now on, AWH Prospect Profiles. Within these articles, we will dig out as much data and knowledge as possible to bring you as much information as a fan can get about franchise prospects. Hopefully you enjoy reading these as much as we enjoy putting them together!

HAYDEN HAWKEY

  • Born: 1st of March, 1995 (20 years old) in Fremont, California
  • Height/Weight: 6’2″ /174 lbs
  • Catches: Left
  • Selected: in the 6th rd, 177th overall in 2014
  • Twitter account: @hawkeypuck35
  • Twitter handle: “All it takes is all I’ve got. Omaha Lancers #1”
  • Played for: Colorado Thunderbirds U16 and U18, Omaha Lancers (USHL)
  • Wearing #1 for Omaha

STATS:

  • Available at Elite Prospects here.
  • 2013-14 totals: 33 GP, 1.99 GAA, .926 Save%
  • 2014-15 totals: 15 GP, 2.99 GAA, .896 Save%

INTERESTING FACTS:

  • Taken 127th overall in the 9th rd of the 2013 USHL Draft by Omaha
  • Hayden won his first 12 starts in the USHL, “recording a 1.92 GAA and .929 SV% over those 12 victories”
  • 2013-14 All-USHL First Team
  • 2013-14 USHL All-Rookie Team
  • 2013-14 USHL Goaltender of the Year. Dan Ellis won the award in 1999-2000, as well as 7 other Omaha Lancers goalies
  • If you’re wondering why Hayden’s stats went down quite a bit in 2014-15, the following may help explain it: “Hawkey will be counted on even more at the start of the season as the Lancers break in a mostly new core of defencemen. Only Schuldt, Brendan Smith and Niklas Folin are back from the 2013-14 squad.”
  • 4 of his team mates in Omaha have been drafted by NHL teams: Ryan Donato (BOS), Anthony Angello (PIT), Steven Spinner (WAS), and Shane Gersich (WAS) – all 2014 draft selections
  • His 2014-15 season ended in December ’14 when he suffered a knee injury which required surgery. Apparently, he tore both the ACL and MCL
  • Habs Eyes On The Prize have a write-up on him here
  • After he autographed a youngster, a parent stated: “My baby met his favorite player tonight and got his jersey signed. Goalie Hayden Hawkey made this little boy’s night!! Hayden is a GREAT kid, so sweet and so awesome he sat with Kaden and visited for part of the 3rd period.”
  • Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette wrote a great article about him here

About his commitment to Providence, Hayden had the following to say:

"“I’m excited, but it’s also a feeling of relief,” said Hawkey Saturday. “Knowing that I’m going to a great program with great coaching, [Providence] is going to be an unreal place for my development, to grow as a person, a student and a hockey player.”"

He didn’t make this decision lightly or without looking at all of the facts, as he added that:

"“Four or five days a week before practice, they’ll do an hour of goalie practice,” explained Hawkey. “Off the ice, it just felt comfortable and I liked the fact it’s a smaller school in a bigger city.”"

He also knew the following when he attended his first NHL camp prior to the 2014-15 season:

"“I knew I wasn’t going to come in and take Carey Price’s job after this camp,” he said lightly. “I’m here to get better, to develop. This is my first pro camp, and I want to get more comfortable with myself and the atmosphere here.”"

Hayden Hawkey Highlights:

ANALYSIS:

This is a tough prospect to analyze for a few key reasons. First and foremost, health has just popped up as a major issue in his development and long-term well-being. Will his knee ever heal well enough to support a full NHL workload? Only time will tell, and while we need to keep that in mind when we consider his longevity, we also have to hope and expect that he’ll be able to perform on a completely healed knee.

The second issue is that all of his development thus far has been in the United States, making it harder to gauge just how great his seasons really were. If he had dominated the OHL in the same way that he dominated the USHL in 2013-14, we could all sit back and say he’s the best thing since sliced bread. What we can say from his performance thus far is that he’s been the best goaltender in his league and will get an opportunity to be tested at a higher level in Providence next season. That season’s performance will answer both health and ratings questions.

Lastly, he’s a goalie with quite a steep road ahead of him to make it to the NHL. Not only is Carey Price only 27 years old and looking to fulfill a long career, but his backup in Dustin Tokarski is only 25 years old and quite capable of sticking around in that role for quite a few years. Add in Zach Fucale and future draft selections, and he’s going to need to work extremely hard to make it any higher than the AHL with the Habs.

But, with that said, he’s got that opportunity and it’s one he will not be rushed through. Should he seize it, and I believe he has the tools to do so, he could very well overcome steep odds and make it into the NHL, it may just be with a different team.

After Hayden had won the Goalie of the year award, his buddy Angelo Tweeted the following:

FINAL THOUGHTS:

With an opportunity to play hockey and get an education at the same time, Hayden Hawkey is already a very fortunate guy with a bright future ahead of him. We’re looking forward to seeing a healthy Hawkey become a dominant presence in Providence and move on to the next level once he’s done there. If he proves healthy, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the NHL in the future.

Enjoy Providence Hayden and we certainly hope you get healthy!

Next: Season Comparison

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