Goaltender Hayton coming to Wisconsin as a graduate transfer

(NBC15)
Published: Sep. 1, 2017 at 4:04 PM CDT
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MADISON, Wis. -- Before Kyle Hayton can be viewed as the next great goaltender for the Wisconsin men's hockey program, he'll be known as the next Russell Wilson.

Not only is Hayton good with that, he welcomes the weighty expectations that accompany it.

"Big shoes to fill," Hayton said with a knowing smile.

Less than an hour after signing a Big Ten Conference tender of financial aid and scholarship agreement on Friday – paperwork that enables him to enroll at UW as a graduate transfer student for 2017-18 – Hayton sat at the Kohl Center revisiting his remarkable journey to Madison.

He spent the previous three years at St. Lawrence, an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association program in Canton, New York, winning awards and setting records.

Hayton was the ECAC Goaltender of the Year and a second-team All-American as a junior in 2016-17, the same season he established program standards for career wins, appearances, saves, shutouts and goals against average.

A 23-year-old from Denver, Hayton said he decided in the spring that he might like a change of scenery for his final season of college hockey and began to research the concept of a graduate transfer.

"Basically I just wanted a new challenge," he said.

Hayton learned that if he were able to finish his undergraduate studies by the end of this summer, he would be free to enroll at another school and be eligible to play right away as a senior.

It's a fairly common phenomenon in major college football and men's basketball. That was the methodology that brought Wilson to the UW football team in 2011.

Wilson, a standout quarterback, graduated from North Carolina State after three years and chose to transfer to Wisconsin. He set an NCAA record for passing efficiency, helped lead the Badgers to a Big Ten championship before becoming a Super Bowl winner with Seattle in 2014.

Hayton is familiar with the Wilson saga because second-year UW coach Tony Granato"keeps calling me hockey's Russell Wilson."

In that context, Granato sees Hayton as a game-changer whose gifts will go a long way toward helping the Badgers continue to their return to national prominence.

After winning 12 of 70 games from 2014 to '16, Wisconsin finished 20-15-1 overall last season and Granato was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

"It's not like you're recruiting a kid that you don't know how he's going to adjust to college hockey," Granato said, adding that Hayton, one of 10 Mike Richter Award semifinalists last season, will have "a big impact on our team."

Hayton, listed at 6-foot and 160 pounds, is prepared to embrace the moment. For perspective, he would rank in the top-five on the all-time UW list for career save percentage (.934, first), shutouts (13, second), wins (60, fourth) and saves (3,079, fifth).

"He's an elite player at his position," Granato said.

"It's just a new experience and something I'm looking forward to," Hayton said.

How did this odyssey unfold?

"It really started right when I was about to leave St. Lawrence for the summer, right at the end of spring term," Hayton said.

"It was a huge leap of faith. When this whole thing started I didn't know if it was going to be possible at first. It just kind of came out of nowhere and we went with it."

In essence, Hayton completed a year's worth of classes in three months and a week.

He said the credit system at St. Lawrence is "a little different" than UW, but said it was the equivalent of finishing eight classes, worth 24 credits, over 99 days from May to August.

"At one point I had five classes going," he said.

Hayton said he got up most mornings at 4:30, drove to the rink for a 6 a.m. workout and spent the rest of the day "just doing homework."

In order to finish his pursuit of a double major at St. Lawrence – business and economics – Hayton took classes in economics, photography, anthropology, sociology, cinema history, money and banking economics, kinesiology and health studies.

Hayton said he got an "A'' in every class.

"It took a lot of planning," he said. "It was hard. It was tough."

Hayton said he's enrolled in a graduate program at UW for education, leadership and policy analysis.

"It's like I'm getting two college careers," he said.

"What he did to get where he's at today is incredible," Granato said. "He didn't just pass classes. He excelled at an accelerated rate."

Hayton obtained a release from St. Lawrence, but it wasn't until Friday that all the necessary paperwork was done. The first day of class at UW is Wednesday.

Asked if he's had time to appreciate the moment, Hayton offered a small smile.

"It's starting to kick in," he said. "I think I haven't been able to appreciate it because there's been so much in limbo here."

Hayton, who will wear No. 33, said he had no prominent personal links to UW. He said he weighed multiple options after last season, but only visited Madison.

"Obviously the coaching staff was a huge draw," he said, referring to Granato and associate head coaches Mark Osiecki and Mark Strobel. "I've never met any coaches like these guys. It's going to be a great year.

"I saw the facilities, saw everything that was here, and I was sold. It's got everything."

Hayton said he learned early on that St. Lawrence comes to the Kohl Center for a non-conference series Oct. 27 and 28. He said he reached out to his old teammates during the process and explained his rationale for leaving.

"They were excited for me and accepted my decision," Hayton said.

"It's a career choice at this point. We're all trying to get to the next level. I think everyone understood that and didn't hold it against me.

What about facing his old teammates?

"I'm excited, actually," Hayton said. "It'll be fun to see those guys again and get a chance to play at the other end.

"It'll be fun playing in front of a packed house at the Kohl Center. Not that Appleton Arena wasn't fun because I had a blast and loved every second playing there."

Hayton is an undrafted free agent who wants to get to the NHL.

"That was a pretty big part of the decision," he said. "The Big Ten's a prestigious league to play in and I think the exposure here is great."

UW has churned out its share of elite goaltenders, including Brian Elliott, Curtis Joseph, Mike Richter and Jim Carey.

"I think he's a confident kid, a kid that looks at our program and the goalies we've produced and he wants to be one of those guys," Granato said.

"It's definitely a long legacy to fill here," Hayton said. "A lot of great goalies came through here. I have a lot of great hockey tradition to live up to here.

"It's a tough task to live up to, but it's an honor to get to do it."