On Wednesday September 9th, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced the signing of American goaltender Hayden Hawkey. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. Hawkey becomes the first netminder signed by the Swamp Rabbits for 2020-21.
A native of Parker, Colorado, Hawkey was originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens in 2014. He was chosen in the draft’s sixth round with the 144th overall selection.
Starting with his days in junior, Hawkey first suited up with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. From 2013-2015, the backstop played 48 games, posting 27 wins, 13 losses and five overtime losses. This also included four shutouts. In 2013-14, Hawkey, for his skill in the net, was named by the league as Goaltender of the Year. He was also named to the All-USHL First Team as well as the USHL All-Rookie Team.
The next four seasons, Hawkey played collegiate hockey for the Providence Friars in the NCAA. There, he played 125 games, losing only 36 and 13 in overtime. As such, he set a high bar for future goaltenders to break his record. He would certainly make this hard, having won a total of 72 games.
Not only that, but Hawkey racked up a total of 7,260 minutes through his time with the Friars. Weighing in at 6’2, the backstop tallied 16 shutouts, eight of which were in the regular season. He added two more in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaking of records, Hawkey sits second in team history thanks to the numbers he put up between the pipes. While ranked eighth with 2,741 saves, he owned a goals against average of 2.02.
In a statement upon signing his contract, the netminder said about landing in Greenville, “My time in Greenville last season was short and I didn’t get to see much of the city, but I’m excited to be back, I’m excited for the opportunity with our new head coach, and I’m excited to see what we can do this year with the group we have. I’ve heard it’s a great atmosphere, a great town and the South Division is one of the best out there, so I want to see what I can do.”
Hawkey played three games with the Mavericks last year before being claimed off of waivers on March 7th. During his brief stint in Kansas City, he owned a 4.71 GAA and a .843 save percentage. however, he’d lose all three contests. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in Greenville since he only appeared in a pair of games last year. I can’t wait to see how he does this season.