The South Carolina Stingrays have announced today that forward Ben Hawerchuk has agreed to terms for the 2025-26 season.
Hawerchuk returns to the Stingrays for his second season in the Lowcountry after playing in 36 games last year. The 27-year-old tallied 10 points (four goals, six assists) last season while logging 123 penalty minutes, the second most on the Stingrays.
“We’re really excited to have Ben Hawerchuk back in Charleston for his second season with the Stingrays,” Head Coach Dave Warsofsky said. “Ben brings a physical edge and a team-first mentality that really separates him from others. He’s always willing to stick up for his teammates, and at the same time, he’s able to contribute offensively and make an impact on the scoresheet. Ben’s combination of toughness, commitment, and skill makes him a huge asset to our group, and we’re looking forward to what he brings this season.”
Prior to joining South Carolina, the King City, Ontario native had spent parts of four seasons in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Jacksonville Icemen, and Brampton Beast. During the 2021-22 season with Jacksonville, Hawerchuk set career highs with 18 goals and 17 assists in 65 games. The forward has 62 points (29 goals, 33 assists) in 140 career games in the ECHL.
“I’m super excited to be coming back,” Hawerchuk said. “We had a great season last year and we have a good group of those core guys coming back this year. It will hopefully be another exciting season for us players and the fans as well.”
Along with his time in the ECHL, Hawerchuk’s professional career has included stints in Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, skating in 51 games between Meran/Merano (AlpsHL), Östersunds IK (HockeyEttan) and the Fife Flyers (EIHL).
His father, the late Dale Hawerchuk, played 16 seasons in the NHL and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. Dale coached Ben during his junior career with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League from 2014 to 2019.
Hawerchuk begins his seventh season of professional hockey joining forwards Charlie Combs, Dean Loukus, Josh Wilkins and Mitch Deelstra for the 2025-26 season.