And, of course, he also gets under the skin of nearly everyone he plays against.
"I played against him a lot in the WHL and I wanted to rip his head off every game," said fellow Panthers prospect Dryden Hunt, laughing. "He's also a very skilled player and does a lot of great things out there. He's kind of a pest, too, so it's really hard to play against a guy like that who can score as well as he can."
At 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, Hawryluk, a right-handed forward, still manages to pack quite a punch on the ice. He finishes checks, blocks shots and never shies away from a battle along the boards. When it comes to grit, well, he's got that in spades, which is something that continues to impress Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon.
"We have high hopes for him," Tallon said of Hawryluk. "He's a kid who plays with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. He's got not only speed and skills, but he's got a lot of grit."
At this year's development camp, Hawryluk was one of several players at the Panthers IceDen with at least one year of professional experience. After four seasons with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, the 21-year-old forward finally made the jump to the professional ranks in 2016-17, recording 26 points (9-17-26) in 47 games for the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.
"You're playing against grown men every night," Hawryluk said of his transition from junior to pro hockey. "They're professional players. A lot of the guys you play against have played in the NHL. You're playing against some of the best players in the world."
"It's a tough league and the schedule's not forgiving. You've got to learn to take care of your body on and off the ice. You're living alone and becoming a pro. I think that's the biggest thing: making sure that you're taking care of yourself off the ice and performing on it."
If not for an upper-body injury suffered in the first game of last year's Rookie Tournament, Hawryluk knows that likely would have made his debut with the Panthers already. During his nearly three-month absence from the ice, several forwards were called up from Springfield to Florida, including Shane Harper, Greg McKegg and Kyle Rau.
Hawyrluk, however, isn't fixated on any what-ifs.
"Obviously, you never want to be injured and always want to be putting yourself in a situation to be called up by the big club," said Hawryluk. "I'm young still and I've got lots of time. I learned a lot about patience, I guess you could say."
"As much as I wanted to come back and maybe thought I could try and push through [the injury], it just wasn't worth it to risk it in the long run. But I'm happy for those guys that got called up. We're all teammates down there. Whenever you see someone get called up, you're proud of them and happy for them."
With a clean bill of health and a year of playing professional hockey under his belt, Hawryluk hopes to crack the Panthers lineup during the upcoming season.
"I definitely feel that I'm ready to play at the next level," Hawryluk said. "I'm going to work my butt off this summer to put myself in the best situation to make the team come October. But there's still work to be put in this summer, working on my game on and off the ice. I feel that I can push for a spot this year."
