Position: Center/Wing
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 207 lbs
Birthdate: March 30th, 1986 (Age 25)
Birthplace: Oshawa, ON, Canada
Acquired: Signed Free Agent (2008)
2010-2011 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers/New York Islanders
2010-2011 Stats (BPT): 50 GP - 12 G - 10 A - 22 P - 144 PIM
2010-2011 Stats (NYI): 27 GP - 2 G - 1 A - 3 P - 85 PIM
2011-2012 Team: Bridgeport Sound Tigers/New York Islanders
Team Role: 4th line forward/13th forward
Last year: After spending the majority of the year in Bridgeport as both a tough guy and an offensive contributor, Haley was called up to the Islanders for a game against Pittsburgh that everyone knew was going to be embroiled with fights. As expected, the game did include a record amount of penalty minutes, and after fighting Max Talbot, Craig Adams and attempting to fight goalie Brent Johnson before Eric Godard intervened, Haley became a fan favorite who was known for his fighting ability (notably bloodying Sean Avery in a fight) as well as his ability to score once in a while as shown by 2 impressive goals over the course of the season. Haley remained with the Islanders for the rest of the season as a 4th line forward.
Expectations: Haley should be splitting time between Bridgeport and Long Island, as he doesn't have quite enough talent to secure himself a slot on an upgraded 4th line permanently, but should be called up for important rivalry games in order to protect our highly valued players. Haley plays such a role that he can do so while contributing offensively and should be able to in his time on Long Island. Being one of the top goal scorers for Bridgeport last year may not happen as easily with a revamped core of players, but when he is in the AHL he should be able to net the same total he did last year.
Projections: (NYI) 30 GP - 4 G - 3 A - 7 P (BPT) 55 GP - 13 G - 8 A - 21 P
Thoughts:
AT: Haley is such an interesting role player. Most players in the enforcer position, such as Trevor Gillies, have their goals come based on pure luck. Haley however has shown that he does indeed have the skill required to be able to put the puck in the back of the net when properly set up, and can do so while still maintaining his enforcer position. He reminds me of Sean Avery in his prime, when he could agitate just as well as he could contribute offensively. With Marty Reasoner, Matt Martin and possibly Nino Niederreiter (assuming he doesn't go back to juniors and no forwards are traded/injured), Haley will most likely switch off with Trevor Gillies for the 13th forward spot, which is fine. He is a great role player, a fan favorite and a skilled at what he does. That is all that is necessary.
CH: I love Haley as the 13th forward of this team. The guy can certainly play the fourth line mostly on a game-to-game basis, but I'm not quite sure he is ready to be a regular on a true playoff contending team. Either way, like Alex said, Haley can do it all. He is a good skater, he hits, brawls, and gets in the opposition's face, and he is adequate with and without the puck. Perfect kind of guy you want as depth. Sure, Haley became a folk hero after his trifecta of fights against Pittsburgh last year, but there is a lot more to the player than what he showed in that game - even evidenced by the not-talked-about goal he scored beating a high level defenseman in Kris Letang. The fact is that no matter where Haley plays, he is an asset to the organization, which is exactly the type of role player the Isles have needed for a while. It took a little for him to develop, but they may have found their man.
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