Kevin Patrick Hayes (born May 8, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Hayes played hockey for the Noble and Greenough School before being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, 24th overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Hayes chose to defer his professional career and followed his older brother Jimmy, playing four seasons with the Boston College Eagles. In his senior year, Hayes was selected for the All-Hockey East First Team and AHCA East First-Team All-American as a result of his play. Following his tenure at Boston College, Hayes signed his first professional contract with the New York Rangers in 2014 instead of the Blackhawks. He played five seasons in New York before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Brendan Lemieux and two picks in the 2019 draft. After finishing the 2018–19 NHL season with the Jets, the Flyers acquired Hayes on a seven-year, $50 million contract in 2019. In the first year of his new contract, Hayes was the recipient of the teams' Gene Hart Memorial Award as the player who displays the most "heart". Playing career Amateur Hayes got his start playing in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, representing South Shore in 2004 and 2005. He has said of the experience, "I thought it was just another fun tournament—you go to Canada with your family and play a lot of hockey, and go play in the snow and stuff." Hayes' South Shore teammates included future NHL players Noel Acciari, Chris Wagner, and Charlie Coyle. He played high school hockey at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, scoring 67 points in 28 games in the 2009–10 season, and was selected to participate in the 2010 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp. The Chicago Blackhawks chose Hayes in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, but he chose to attend Boston College, which had recruited Jimmy a few years before. After scoring one goal and two assists in an exhibition game against the University of Toronto, Hayes recorded his first NCAA career point on October 15, 2010, in a 6–2 win over the Denver Pioneers. He sat out the second half of the 2010–11 season because of a posterior cruciate ligament injury, and finished with 14 points in 31