[2] In his OHL rookie campaign, Hayton was eased into the lineup and scored a respectable 27 points in 63 games.

[4] On June 22, 2018, Hayton's rise up the rankings was realised as he was selected fifth overall by the Arizona Coyotes at the 2018 NHL entry draft.

[8] After attending the Coyotes 2019 training camp, he made his NHL debut on October 10, 2019, against the Vegas Golden Knights.

[12] On February 5, 2020, Hayton was sent down to the Coyotes American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, on a five-game conditioning assignment.

In the following playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Hayton appeared in one game before the Coyotes were eliminated from post-season play.

[15] On October 18, 2020, Hayton was loaned by the Coyotes to Finnish Liiga club, Ilves, until the start of NHL training camp.

He recorded careers highs in goals (19), assists (24), points (43) and penalty minutes (42) and played on the first line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.

Initially expected to miss four to six weeks,[26] Hayton suffered a setback in his recovery that resulted in him being sidelined until the All-Star break.

[32] In Canada's round robin 6–0 loss to Russia, Hayton did not remove his helmet during the playing of the Russian national anthem.

[33] He suffered an injury in the semifinals against Finland but stayed in Canada's lineup for their gold medal game.

[37] After a 6 game professional stint in the American Hockey League, he then coached the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL before settling into a teaching job at a Norwood District High School, just outside of Peterborough.