South Shore Kings defenseman Nolan Hayes committed to Sacred Heart, it was announced Wednesday.
The ’02 from Milton, Mass., is in his first season playing junior hockey for the USPHL organization’s NCDC team. In 33 games this season, Hayes has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Hayes ranks second in goals and seventh in points among league defensemen.
Hayes is a senior at Cushing Academy but opted to play in the NCDC once it became clear that coronavirus ramifications would cancel the prep school hockey season. As a junior at Cushing in 2019-20, Hayes racked up 10 goals and 20 assists in 34 games. The Penguins advanced to the final of the NEPSAC Large School Tournament before bowing out to Loomis Chaffee.
Hayes played three seasons at Thayer Academy before transferring to the Ashburnham, Mass., prep school. In addition, he spent time playing split-season hockey for the Junior Eagles and River Rats. His older brother, Christian Hayes, is a sophomore on the hockey team at NESCAC powerhouse Trinity.
Hayes is an offensive, puck-moving defenseman who should fill a power-play quarterback role for the Pioneers. His skating and skill with the puck on his stick are attributes that will translate well to the college game as an offensive defenseman. The one area of his game that will need to continue to improve prior to getting to college is his propensity for turnovers. Hayes will play another year of junior hockey in 2021-22 before heading to Sacred Heart for the 2022-23 season.
Back in November when I ranked the top uncommitted ’02s in New England, Hayes was my sixth pick. Of the top six players from that article, four have now committed to a college hockey program. No. 1 Nate Benoit (North Dakota), No. 3 Nick Marciano (Princeton) and No. 4 Kyle Furey (Northeastern) preceded Hayes in making a commitment.
One other interesting note is that Cushing would have had eight committed players on its roster this season, if the season hadn’t been canceled. In addition to Hayes, Jackson Dorrington (Northeastern), Lukas Gustafsson (Boston College), Jake Hewitt (Army), Cam Lund (Northeastern), Kaleb Nelson (Providence), Billy Norcross (Boston College) and Owen Paskowski (Colorado College) would have had logos next to their names on the Penguins’ line chart.
There are numerous schools that were decimated by players leaving for junior hockey once COVID wreaked havoc on prep hockey’s season. Cushing is one of them, and it’s certainly a tough pill to swallow for coaches such as longtime bench boss Steve Jacobs.
It is commendable that several prep schools have carried on with legitimate games. Avon Old Farms, Dexter Southfield, Salisbury and the Lakes Region schools all have done a good job in forging ahead, despite numerous obstacles.
