Zack Hayes celebrates a goal against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 31. (Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia)

By paNOW Staff

Knighted

Hayes heading to the desert

Apr 6, 2020 | 2:30 PM

Having played his last game as a Prince Albert Raider, graduating captain Zack Hayes will be making the move to the Entertainment Capital of the World.

The Vegas Golden Knights announced on Monday that the team’s American Hockey League affiliate based in Henderson, Nevada signed the defenceman to an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season.

Hayes finished his WHL career with an impressive resume, having played in 272 regular season games as well as 30 post-season contests.

Drafted in the ninth round of the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft, the Calgary product joined the club on a full-time basis as a 17-year-old. He was named to the team’s leadership group ahead of the 2018-19 season, serving as alternate captain as the Raiders secured the second Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history.

In his final season, Hayes assumed the captaincy from his defence partner Brayden Pachal, who left the Raiders after signing an Entry Level Contract with the Golden Knights. As an over-age player, Hayes set a career high with seven goals to go with 16 assists in 60 games played, helping lead the club to back-to-back division titles when the remainder of the regular season and playoffs were called off due to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Remarkably, Hayes’ final plus/minus tally sits at +97, the most in a career by any Raider player since online statistics became available in 1996.

The Golden Knights’ affiliation switches from the Chicago Wolves, where Pachal played in 2018-19, to a local team this fall. On Feb. 6, the Golden Knights purchased an American Hockey League franchise membership from Spurs Sports and Entertainment (which had operated the San Antonio Rampage in San Antonio, TX) and relocated the team to Henderson, NV, a Las Vegas suburb.

The team will play home games during the 2020-21 AHL season at the Orleans Arena, located at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Team headquarters, including a practice facility, will be located in Henderson.

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow