Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 12: Wildcard Forward Has Potential To Keep Climbing NHL Ladder

It’s officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more – and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.

This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.

Defenseman Finn Harding came in at No. 13, as his rapid progression after being a seventh-round pick is impressive and a developmental success story. We shift back to the forward front for No. 12 to shed more light on a guy who plays with an edge, a skillset, and a contagious energy that may just allow him to keep elevating his ceiling at the NHL level.

There are very few prospects in the Penguins’ organization as well-liked and well-respected as Avery Hayes, and it’s certainly for good reason.

The undrafted 23-year-old forward certainly made a big impression on the big club when he made his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 5, scoring two goals, with the first coming from an earned opportunity on his first NHL shot. Hayes played in 16 NHL games during the team’s most important stretch of the season between late-February and early April, putting up five goals and showing signs of being an effective bottom-six player with offensive upside.

And that’s not even accounting for the fabulous AHL season he had, putting up 24 goals and 39 points in 42 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). He went a bit quiet during the Calder Cup Playoffs with just three goals and six points through 15 games, but his presence was still noticeable.

Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 13: Defenseman’s Growth A Revelation For Pittsburgh

Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 13: Defenseman’s Growth A Revelation For PittsburghNext up on THN’s Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects list is a defenseman who continues to raise his own stock despite his late draft selection – and who is beginning to look more and more like an NHL-wired blueliner.

Hayes exudes a certain level of energy and confidence that seems to be contagious among his peers. He plays with an edge and sticks up for teammates, he works his tail off shift after shift, and he doesn’t shy away from playing with the puck on his stick.

He’s also as good as anyone in the system at creating something out of nothing.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound right wing excels at “stickhandling in a phone booth,” if you will, possessing the ability to make plays in tight spaces and force plays that don’t even look like they’re there. He’s quick, he’s agile, he’s an excellent forechecker, he’s able to create separation with his speed, he’s good around the net, he is effective on the PK and the PP, and he has a pretty nice shot to go along with all of that.

Hayes’s journey to the NHL was certainly an unconventional one, as he went straight from playing with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL in 2022-23 to an AHL PTO then a contract with WBS. His biggest and best attribute is his work ethic, which is on display every single night in various different manners, whether that’s beating opponents to loose pucks, forcing his will around the net-front, or playing with some snarl to get under his opponent’s skin and rally his team.

In some ways, Hayes is a bit remniscent of veteran forward Bryan Rust, who – even if drafted, unlike Hayes – started out the first seasons of his NHL career as a fourth-liner but worked his way up the lineup through persistance and the high-energy, forecheck-heavy speed game he plays.

So, looking at it that way, it kind of makes sense why he’s garnered the respect and attention of the Penguins’ development staff, as his path and his work ethic set an example for others to follow.

Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2026, No. 14: Feisty Forward Showing Why He Belongs In ProsNext up at No. 14 on THN’s Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects list is a tenacious, relentless, skilled forward with a mean streak who could work his way onto the NHL roster sooner rather than later.

“Avery Hayes is an incredible kid. I could talk all day about him,” Penguins’ director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. “The way our organization is set up to find these players, work with them, develop them, coach them, give them opportunity, Avery Hayes is a fantastic example.

“Everyone in our organization was super happy to see [him] jump into the lineup in Buffalo and score two goals. From the way his career started and what he’s done with it so far, there’s a lot more for him ahead.”

Hayes figures to be a candidate to make the opening night NHL roster, even with an uphill climb ahead due to the crowded forward pool expected at training camp. His game is one that should translate pretty well to the NHL level, and his ceiling once he establishes himself as an NHL player is a bit of an exciting unknown. That “unknown” is both what has him just outside the top-10 on this list and what makes him such an intriguing upside prospect.

Given his history, he may just keep raising that ceiling. If any prospect in the organization is going to take a Rust-like path and quite literally get better and more productive at the NHL level with every passing year, it’s Hayes. He has the tools, the fight, and the mindset to do it, so it will be interesting to see how soon he can establish himself as a permanent fixture in the Penguins’ lineup.