Former National Hockey League forward Jimmy Hayes has passed away at the age of 31, according to multiple reports.
According to the Boston Globe, Hayes was found dead at his Milton, Massachuestts home on Monday, and his death is not considered suspicious. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Hayes, who grew up in Dorchester, Mass., played at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham and later played three seasons at Boston College from 2008-11, helping the Eagles win a national championship in 2010.
Hayes played seven seasons in the NHL from 2011-18, which included stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils. His best season in the league came with the Panthers in the 2014-15 campaign, when he had 19 goals and 16 assists in 72 games.
His last season of playing professional hockey came in the 2018-19 season when he played with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hayes was the 60th overall selection of the 2008 NHL Draft out of the U.S. National Team Development Program by the Toronto Maple Leafs. His rights were traded to the Blackhawks during the 2010 NHL Draft.
Hayes’ younger brother, Kevin, is also an NHL player, currently with the Philadelphia Flyers. He is also the cousin of current NHLers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, as well as Buffalo Sabres prospect Casey Fitzgerald.
He is survived by his wife, Kristen, and two young sons.