No one has had a bigger impact and been more loyal to the Toledo Walleye franchise in recent seasons than forward Brandon Hawkins.
Hawkins has etched his name all over the Walleye record book. The 30-year-old has already produced the second most goals (114) and points (238) in franchise history.
Hawkins, known by many as “The Mayor,” recently re-signed to play his fourth season with the Walleye..
Last season, Hawkins led the ECHL in scoring with 93 points, including a league-high 40 goals. He earned the ECHL’s MVP honor and guided Toledo to the Western Conference finals.
“I couldn’t be more excited to come back,” Hawkins said. “My wife and I call Toledo home now. The fans and everybody here are family to us. And every year I get a little more excited to come back.”
Over his 188 games with the Walleye in three seasons, Hawkins has averaged 1.3 points per contest. Hawkins had a career year in 2023-24, posting the most goals, assists (53), and points of his five-year pro career.
“He plays a well-rounded game, and his numbers speak for themselves,” Toledo coach Pat Mikesch said. “He’s got the ability to slow down the game. And Hawk loves being at the rink and talking hockey with everyone. He takes pride in his accomplishments, but always makes the organization’s success the top priority.”
Hawkins has now become the face of a franchise.
He was the first player Mikesch signed this offseason to build his team around.
“He had so many big-time moments for us this year,” Mikesch said. “Whether it’s the first goal of the game or overtime winner, he likes to be in that spotlight in those prime moments. Not everybody wants the puck at that time of the game, and he does, and that’s something that makes him special.”
His 40 goals and 93 points also established single-season Walleye records, while his 53 assists were the third-highest total in a season.
“I don’t get to do any of this without my teammates,” Hawkins said. “They make it special. They make it fun to come to the rink every day. They push me to do better, and hopefully I’m doing the same for them.
“But really the personal and individual records don’t mean [anything] without a championship.”
The assists and MVP honor last season meant the most to him.
“The assists are a cool one, because my dad brought me up to understand that the pass was always more important than the goal. There's no goal without the pass,” he said. “The MVP is special, because my name is right there with guys like Shawn Szydlowski, [former Walleye forward] Josh Kestner, and Chad Costello. To even remotely put myself in the same conversation as those guys is an absolute honor. One day I'll get to show my kids that.”
Hawkins had played in the 3ICE summer hockey league the past two seasons, but the league took the 2024 season off.
“It’s coming back next summer,” Hawkins said. “But one of the benefits from taking off this year is that it gives me a little more time to heal up the bumps and bruises.”
Hawkins has filled the void by coaching young players.
“It’s all age groups,” he said. “Guys helped me when they played professionally, and that really rubbed off on me. If I have a chance to give back to kids in any way, shape, or form, by all means I’m gonna take advantage of it.”
In his ECHL career, Hawkins has averaged more than a point per game with 310 (153 G, 157 A) in 272 regular season games with Toledo, Fort Wayne, and Wheeling.
Hawkins confirmed he received offers to play overseas, where the salaries are higher and tax free. Eight players from last year's Walleye team have already signed to play in Europe next season, including prolific scorers Orrin Centazzo and Riley Sawchuk, and goaltender John Lethemon.
Hawkins also turned down offers from the higher-level American Hockey League during the Walleye regular season.
“In all honesty, I’m such a homebody,” Hawkins said. “That’s the best way I can explain it. I love the fact that my family gets to come to every game. My wife’s family is from Cleveland. So having family close to me is more valuable than any money that can be thrown at me going to Europe.”
Such loyalty is unusual in the ECHL.
“It’s really rare at our level, because guys are always making moves and trying different countries,” Mikesch said. “But Hawk has made it very clear that this is where he wants to be to raise his family, and we want to make sure we’re providing him with everything we can and surrounding him with players that allow him to win that championship he openly talks about.”
Hawkins has proven to be invaluable as a recruiter.
“He knows a huge pool of the top-end players and especially the kids from the Michigan area,” Mikesch said. “He’ll reach out letting us know that a player is interested. And if there’s a chance that we can get him involved in the recruiting process, he’s a huge asset.”
When he was hired last July, Mikesch counted on Hawkins to help him recruit immediately.
“To have Hawk speak to possible recruits made sense,” Mikesch said. “He knows the history and could talk about his desire to win a championship here in Toledo.”
Hawkins believes selling fellow players on coming to Toledo is not difficult.
“It’s really the whole package. You’re taken care of from every angle,” he said. “It’s a town where when you go out and get groceries, people are gonna know who you are. You really are a celebrity in Toledo.”
Bringing back Hawkins, as well as fellow forwards Sam Craggs, Trenton Bliss, and Conlan Keenan, has been a top priority this offseason for the Walleye.
“I think we will be really good next year,” Hawkins said. “It’s just climbing the ladder, right? We got to that conference final, and now we’ll find a way to climb that wall. We’ll find ways to get better and tweak and fix it. It’s all about learning and getting better.”
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