Jimmy Hayes

Jimmy Hayes (born on November 21, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2nd round (60th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Amateur Career
In 2005-06, Jimmy was a member of the U.S. National U-17 Team at the 2005 Four Nations Tournament hosted in Russia. He was then selected to the 2006 U.S. U-17 Select Team and participated at the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament hosted in the Czech Republic.

Jimmy was selected first overall in the 2006 USHL Futures Draft by the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets. In 2006-07, he played for the U.S. NTDP U-18 Team. Jimmy was also a member of the silver medal U.S. Team at the 2007 IIHF World U-18 Championship hosted in Finland.

2007-08 marked Jimmy's second season with the U.S. National Team Development. In 18 games with the U-18 team, he tallied 7 points. In 19 games with the U.S. National Team, he tallied 10 points.

In February of 2008, he had his USHL rights traded from the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets to the Lincoln Stars. Shortly after, he was released from the NTDP program and joined the Lincoln Stars. Jimmy played with the Lincoln Stars for 21 games and recorded 4 goals and 11 assists during this stretch. He also had 9 postseason points in 8 playoff games with the Stars. In the fall of 2008, Jimmy signed a letter of intent to attend Boston College (H-East).

In his three-year, 117 game tenure with the Boston College Eagles, Jimmy tallied a total of 81 points - 42 goals and 39 assists. As a freshman in the 2008-09 season, he played in 36 games and registered 13 points: 8 goals and 5 assists.

Of the 8 goals, one was a game-winning goal, one was a power play goal, and one was a shorthanded goal. At the end of the season, he ranked fifth on the team with 75 shorts. He is also noted to have recorded two multiple-goal games, including one hat trick.

As a sophomore in the 2009-10 season, Jimmy played in all 42 of the team's games. During that time he registered 35 points - 13 goals and 22 assists. He is also credited with three power play goals, three game-winning goals, and a +7 rating (see Plus-minus).

Jimmy had 9 multiple point games during this season, including one four-point outing and one three-point night. His effort during the postseason helped to lift the Boston College Eagles over Maine in a 7-6 overtime victory during the Hockey East championship game on March 20. He and his BC teammates were also crowned NCAA Div. 1 Champions winning the Frozen Four Final in Detroit at Ford's Field.

NHL Career
On June 26, 2010, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Jimmy to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for the 43rd overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft (Bradley Ross).

Jimmy made his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings on December 30, 2011. He scored his first NHL goal on January 2, 2012, in his second career game against Devan Dubnyk of the Edmonton Oilers. He scored his second goal on January 5, 2012, in this third career game against Ilya Bryzgalov of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jimmy participated in his first playoff game on Saturday, April 21, 2012, in Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals with the Blackhawks. During the 2013–14 season, on November 14, 2013, he was traded by the Blackhawks to the Florida Panthers along with Dylan Olsen in exchange for Kris Versteeg and Philippe Lefebvre.