Eriah Hayes

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| alt =

| image = Eriah Hayes (cropped).jpg

| image_size = 230 px

| caption = Hayes with the Chicago Wolves in 2015

| played_for = San Jose Sharks

| position = Right wing

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|7|7}}

| birth_place = La Crescent, Minnesota, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 209

| shoots = Right

| draft = Undrafted

| career_start = 2013

| career_end = 2017

}}

Eriah Joseph Hayes (born July 7, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks.

Playing career

He played junior hockey with the Waterloo Blackhawks. Hayes attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where he played four seasons (2009–2013) of NCAA Division I hockey with the Minnesota State Mavericks, registering 52 goals, 44 assists, 96 points, and 245 penalty minutes in 153 games.

On April 5, 2013, the San Jose Sharks signed Hayes as a free agent to an NHL entry-level contract.{{cite web| url = http://sharks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=664366 | title = Sharks Sign Forward Eriah Hayes | publisher = San Jose Sharks | date = 2013-04-05 | accessdate = 2013-04-05}} On January 3, 2014, after playing 36 AHL games, Hayes was recalled from the Worcester Sharks to join San Jose; however, a winter storm prevented him from joining the NHL team in time for the January 4, 2014 match against the Colorado Avalanche,{{cite web| url = http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/la-crescent-s-hayes-gets-call-to-nhl/article_1b0fb600-74ca-11e3-bbde-0019bb2963f4.html | title = La Crescent's Hayes gets call to NHL | publisher = LaCrosse Tribune | date = 2014-01-04 | accessdate = 2014-01-04}} but he was on the ice with San Jose on January 6, 2014, to make his NHL debut in a 3–2 shootout win over the home team Chicago Blackhawks.{{Cite web| url = http://www.winonadailynews.com/sports/high-school/article_0b89ed72-7696-11e3-a078-0019bb2963f4.html | title = Hayes shoots twice in NHL debut with Sharks | publisher = Winona Daily News | date = 2014-01-06 | accessdate = 2014-01-06}} On January 30 against the Calgary Flames, Hayes scored his first NHL goal against Karri Ramo.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-vs-sjs/2014/01/30/2013020815|title=Flames shut down slumping Sharks|work=National Hockey League|date=January 30, 2014|access-date=January 30, 2014}}

On October 11, 2014, Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson announced that Hayes has been reassigned to Worcester.{{Cite news |url=http://www.csnbayarea.com/sharks/sharks-reassign-f-hayes-worcester |title=Sharks reassign F Hayes to Worcester |date=October 11, 2014 |work=csnbayarea.com |accessdate=October 11, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014191117/http://www.csnbayarea.com/sharks/sharks-reassign-f-hayes-worcester |archivedate=October 14, 2014 |df=mdy }}

On August 13, 2015, Hayes signed as a free agent a one-year contract with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagowolves.com/component/k2/4604-wolves-sign-eriah-hayes |title=Wolves sign Eriah Hayes |publisher=Chicago Wolves |date=2015-08-13 |accessdate=2015-08-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816214157/http://www.chicagowolves.com/component/k2/4604-wolves-sign-eriah-hayes |archivedate=August 16, 2015 |df=mdy }}

On October 3, 2017, he announced on his Twitter account that he retired from hockey.