“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky

Remarkably, prolific scoring machine Brandon Hawkins has taken his game to another level in his third season with the Toledo Walleye.

Hawkins has developed into more than a point-per-game player. He has averaged 1.3 points per game this season and continues to rewrite the franchise's record books.

The 29-year-old native of Macomb, Mich. tied the organization's all-time record for points in a season (86) on Wednesday and is just three goals away from tying his own goal single-season goal-scoring record (39).

“Hawk” leads all of the ECHL in points, goals scored, power-play points, and shots on goal. The gifted goal scorer has led the ECHL in shots taken each of the last two seasons. His 315 shots this season are 66 more than Brandon Cutler of Utah.

“There's never been a shot I didn't like — let's put it that way,” Hawkins said. “Bliss [linemate Trenton Bliss] probably gets a little mad at me for that every once in a while. But you know what? There's never been a bad shot, right? You don't know what could happen. You don't know where it can go. I try to slip it in at weird angles and sometimes it works out.”

Hawkins leads all of the ECHL in scoring with 86 points in 64 games. The 5-foot-10, 198-pound right winger, who played two seasons at Bowling Green State University, leads the league in goals scored with 37 and ranks third with 49 assists.

“He's just a good person,” teammate Brandon Kruse said. “He's dedicated to his craft. He knows the ins and outs of hockey and he's one of those guys who just loves coming to the rink every day. If it's an optional skate, he'll be out there. It's cool to see the older players on the team do that.”

Kruse, who also played at BGSU, said he looks up to Hawkins.

“I appreciate what he's given back to the game of hockey,” Kruse said. “He has one of the best shots I've ever seen. And he's a very underrated passer because his shot is such a threat. People don't give them enough credit for the vision he has and the passes he can make.”

Walleye coach Pat Mikesch said Hawkins is a great mentor who does a good job talking guys through certain situations on the bench.

“He stays composed,” Mikesch said. “He's not somebody that's yelling and screaming. He just stays composed and talks about where we're at in the game and how we can turn momentum when we need to. To see his maturity and all the things he does when he doesn't have the puck, he's really special.”

Rookie forward Dalton Messina, a fellow native of Macomb, Mich. who signed with the team last week out of Ohio State, said he grew up playing with Hawkins.

“We go way back,” Messina said. “We played roller hockey together. He's always had a pro shot since he was 10 years old. It's something incredible and he's been unbelievable here. He's really helped me transition and kind of taken me under his wing.”

His coaches and teammates said Hawkins has elite vision combined with soft hands and a sizzling shot with uncanny accuracy.

He leads the league in power-play points with 33 and has tallied 14 power-play goals, which is the second most in the league.

“It comes from a lot of practice and messing around with funny angles and doing different things,” Hawkins said. “Growing up, my dad told me that the pass means more than the goal. So to be a shooter and to be able to pass on the back end, I'll take that every day.”

He is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with six. Twice this season Hawkins has had streaks of points in 14 consecutive games.

Last season, Hawkins set the Walleye franchise record for goals scored in a season with 39 and led the Walleye in scoring with 81 points in 66 regular-season games. He earned All-ECHL first-team honors.

Former teammate Gordie Green, who played in Austria this season, was one of Hawkins' linemates last season. Green had 71 points (27 goals, 44 assists) for the Walleye.

“Hawk is a special player,” Green said. “There are not many guys that produce the way he does year in and year out. He is a threat to the opposing team anywhere in the offensive zone, with not only his shot — which is the best in the league and one of the best in hockey — but also his play-making ability. He draws defenders to him and opens ice for other players.”

Hawkins, who has played in all 66 of the team's games this season, developed his elite goal-scoring skills as a youngster on the family's roller hockey rink.

In the past two off-seasons, Hawkins has played in the 3ICE Hockey League. The offensively oriented league has attracted some of the top talent in the ECHL. Hawkins competed in the summer league with former Walleye teammate T.J. Hensick in 2022.

Hawkins and Hensick, who are longtime friends, guided the Walleye to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2022. Hensick, who played in 112 games at the NHL level, said Hawkins has one of the best shots he has ever seen.

“His ability to score from anywhere on the ice makes him so dangerous,” Hensick said. “He’s a very smart player who can find the soft ice and when he gets it, it’s in the back of the net because of his shot. His release is sneaky and his creativity is off the chart.”

Hensick said what separates Hawkins from other guys in the ECHL is his ability to learn.

“He loves hockey and usually is the first one on the ice,” Hensick said. “I miss playing with him.”

Hawkins said he tries to be a true student of the game.

“I try to be a sponge,” he said. “I'm going on 30 years old, but I try to learn something new at the rink every day. That's how you get better and how you keep playing at an older age. I learned a lot from Henny. He'd point out things and we learned from each other.”

Green said he developed great chemistry with Hawkins.

“You know where he was going to be as a linemate, in the scoring areas, around the top of the circles, and in the slot, which makes him easy to play with,” Green said.

Hawkins also previously played with Wheeling and Fort Wayne in the ECHL, recording 217 points (113 goals, 104 assists) in 202 regular-season games. Hawkins helped lead Fort Wayne to a Kelly Cup in the coronavirus-impacted 2020-21 season.

Hampered by a hand injury at the start of his first season with the Walleye, Hawkins still finished second on the team in scoring with 64 points (35 G, 29 A) in 52 games in 2021-22.

One of his signature goals — a trick with the stick called the Michigan Move — earned him a spot on ESPN's SportsCenter last year.

Hawkins then had 17 points in the playoffs, with eight goals and nine assists, to help the Walleye reach the Western Conference finals.

Hawkins said the organization feels like a big family from top to bottom.

“My work is not a job, it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “I love the city.”

Hawkins still trails Shane Berschbach by a wide margin for the most career points in franchise history. Berschbach, who played in six seasons for Toledo (2014-20), finished with 393 points. Hawkins has 231 points in 183 games for the Walleye (1.26 points per game).

But Hawkins is just five goals behind Berschbach in career goals.

“I grew up playing with Bersch. He's a close friend,” Hawkins said. “So it's something cool. But again, the individual records mean nothing to me. It's a cool thing to have, by all means, but I don't get to do it without all my teammates. I'll take it but if we're getting more wins in the column, then I'll take that any day over the individual stuff.”

First Published March 30, 2024, 5:35 p.m.