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SALT LAKE CITY — The games seemed to go in slow motion for Utah Hockey Club forward Barrett Hayton.
He saw entire plays develop, the spaces of ice open up, and the areas where he believed he could take advantage. The problem? He wasn't playing. Due to two separate injuries, Hayton skated in just 33 games last season, leaving him to watch his team from high above the ice surface.
"You watch a lot of hockey, and you learn a lot," Hayton said of the tough season.
That knowledge is now paying off.
With Hayton's goal on Wednesday in Utah's 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the former No. 5 pick already has four goals through the first six games of the season. Oh, and he's added two assists, too.
The center has provided a strong presence in front of the net for Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz to form one of the most productive lines of the early season.
"He's special in certain areas," head coach André Tourigny said. "He goes to the dirty area. He goes to the net."
That's where his latest goal came. He rebounded Schmaltz in front of the net and pushed it around Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostál. That's where Hayton's goals have come this season — on deflections and rebounds when pucks get to the net.
"His bread and butter will always be his inside game, going to the net, getting in the dirty area, and doing that kind of job," Tourigny said.
He's doing it better than he ever has this season, and he credits his time away from the ice for that.
Hayton said the injuries gave him a new perspective on the game. He would watch other players with similar skill sets and see how they would impact the game; it wasn't hard to envision him doing the same thing. Now, there's no need to imagine it; he's living it.
🚨 Barrett Hayton power play goal! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/1Vr0zPUgzK
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 17, 2024
Hayton was fully healthy in May, giving him an entire offseason to prepare for the new season. He worked on gaining more separation speed and focused on the strategic side of things, learning how best to use open space in front of the net.
So far, it's all been working — for him and his linemates.
Keller is tied for sixth in the NHL with 7 early points (four goals and three assists), and Schmaltz (six assists) and Hayton are tied for 11th in the league with 6 points apiece.
Tourigny believes there's another reason for the productive start from his first-line center: He might be feeling less pressure.
Hayton signed a two-year deal with the Utah Hockey Club this season — something Tourigny said was a welcomed change after he was on single-year contracts for the last couple of seasons.
"He puts so much pressure on himself. He's such a competitor. He wants to be perfect at everything, and I think maybe that was a little bit of weight on the shoulder in the past," Tourigny said. "I don't know. I'm saying that, but I might be totally wrong. He seems more relaxed. He seemed more confident. He's on a mission. He's a more mature guy, as well."
That's something Tourigny noticed following Hayton's first preseason game with Utah. It wasn't a great contest for Hayton, where he made poor decisions and played out of character. So, afterward, Tourigny pulled him aside, but he didn't need to.
"He knew what he did right, what he did wrong, and what he had to do to come back to his game," he said. "I was talking with a man. I think he's really more mature."
He sure is playing like it.
