Yale student by day, Blackhawks winger by night

Blackhawks center John Hayden is balancing being an NHL player and a college student. 

 (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

Blackhawks player, John Hayden, is a Yale student by day and Hawk player by night. As most college students are attending their spring break activities, Hayden is playing with the Blackhawks. The 22-year-old is playing on a line with Jonathan Toews, while trying to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the country with a degree in political science. 

Hayden signed a two-year deal with the Hawks and has enjoyed a great start with a goal and two assists in his first four games.

However, once spring break ends Hayden has to balance his classwork along with the demands of the Blackhawks. As Hayden's life becomes busy, he said he is doing well. He stated "I front-loaded my schedule, so fall was pretty busy, but I'll handle it."

This is a crucial moment in Hayden's career, but Hayden and his college coach, Keith Allain, have spent months preparing for this moment. 

Allan said "I would say since Jan. 1, we've had 10 meetings about what the next step would be like, what he had to do when our season ended and he was ready to sign. He's really thought about the next step and what he needed to do to be successful. He's done everything he could do in preparation for that. I think it has made the transition for that a little bit easier. He's a young man who's living out his dream."

At 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, Hayden is a physical presence on the ice. During his first NHL appearance against Ottawa, he pinned an opponent against the boards to start a puck battle. His first goal came on a play in which he transferred a Jonathan Toews pass from his skate to his stick in one motion and then scored. And against the Canucks, Hayden appeared to score the tying goal in the third period before a replay review called the goal no good. 

It is amazing to watch Hayden go from a Yale student to playing for one of the best teams in the NHL. Two of the biggest moments of Hayden's life are just around the corner — graduation from Yale and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Courteous of the Chicago Tribune and Chris Hine for the information.