Fond memories come to mind when Liam Hawel recounts his time in the Canadian Hockey League.
Suiting up for more than 300 career games over five seasons split between the Soo Greyhounds, Guelph Storm, and Kitchener Rangers from 2015-20, the former junior forward has since graduated to the U SPORTS level where he continues to play varsity hockey while also pursuing a degree in business.
Looking back at the years that have past – including unforgettable moments like being selected by the Dallas Stars in the 2017 NHL Draft, winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup with the Storm in 2019, and making his professional debut with the AHL’s Laval Rocket in 2020 – Hawel recalls the successes as well as the relationships he formed with players and staff over his time in junior hockey.
“It has been a whirlwind,” Hawel told the Canadian Hockey League. “Starting in the Soo at 16 years old and moving away probably as far as possible from Ottawa. It is a great hockey town … Later on in Guelph, we were league champions and it became a second home to me. Then in Kitchener, everything was first class.
“To be able to go through the highs and lows with some of your best friends is something you will never forget and I am still super close with all those guys. My time in the OHL was unbelievable.”
Joining the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in 2021-22, it was a comfortable transition for Hawel as the squad also counted some familiar faces and former junior teammates like Joseph Raaymakers. The success then followed as Hawel led the team with 37 points counting 18 goals and 19 assists through 24 appearances, helping him to earn the Kelly Trophy as Atlantic University Sport’s MVP as well as the Clare Drake Trophy as the 2021-22 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year.
“I knew I wanted to play in the AUS because it is a really good league,” Hawel detailed. “I knew St. Francis Xavier is a great school with a great background. It is a tight-knit community with a small town feel. It is fun to be somewhere where people know who you are.
“A lot of people underappreciate U SPORTS, even myself as I didn’t know a ton before I decided to go that route. It is super good hockey as most of the guys are ex-CHLers. The coaching staff at St. Francis Xavier is unbelievable and super supportive, and I was put in a position to play a big role and lucky enough to do good things with it and help our team win.”
The Ottawa-area native will soon get an opportunity to help the Canadian team win too when he represents the Great White North at the upcoming 2023 World University Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., beginning January 11.
“That is going to be awesome,” Hawel beamed. “We were supposed to go last year but it got cancelled because of COVID. That was super disappointing but the fact that we get another shot at it is this year is going to be super fun. There is a great group of guys and some ex-teammates involved.”
In all, Hawel credits his success both on the ice and in the classroom to his time in the Canadian Hockey League and how it paved the way forward for him to continue playing the sport he loves while also supporting himself academically.
“I like it, and it is not too bad when the guys you are playing with are taking the same classes and you are doing the work together,” Hawel concluded. “We get to play hockey and also get a degree with it, so it is the best of both worlds.”
