The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed Peterborough Petes forward Avery Hayes to a two-year, American Hockey League (AHL) contract for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, announced on Tuesday.
The Penguins are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hayes was traded to the Petes on Jan. 7, shortly before the OHL trade deadline. He played 32 games with 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in the regular season.
The Westland, Mich.-born forward captured the OHL Championship in back-to-back seasons, with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Peterborough Petes in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Hayes led the Petes with 12 goals during their championship run.
Those wins gave Hays two straight Memorial Cup appearances, producing produced six goals and eight points in 10 total games.