Ben Hanowski

Benjamin Robert Hanowski (born October 18, 1990) is an American former professional ice hockey player. An alumnus of the St. Cloud State Huskies, he was a third-round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins, 63rd overall, at the 2009 NHL entry draft. Hanowski was dealt to the Calgary Flames before turning professional as part of the trade that sent Jarome Iginla to Pittsburgh. He made his NHL debut late in the 2012–13 season, scoring his first goal in his first game.

Early life Hanowski grew up in Little Falls, Minnesota, where he played both baseball and ice hockey for Little Falls High School, graduating in 2009. He is the all-time leading scorer in Minnesota High School ice hockey history, recording 405 points in 117 games. He was a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey award, and named Minnesota Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2008–09 following a season in which he scored 73 goals and 62 assists in 31 games. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the 2009 NHL entry draft, 63rd overall. Before embarking on a professional career, Hanowksi attended St. Cloud State University first as a business major before switching to finance.

Playing career College Hanowski played four years for the St. Cloud State Huskies (SCSU), completing his college career with 62 goals and 51 assists for 113 points in 156 games. He was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) scholar-athlete in 2012, and was named to the all-WCHA Academic team twice. He led the team with 128 shots, 23 goals and 43 points. finishing the year with 37 points in 31 games and a semifinal appearance in the 2013 national championship.

Professional Hanowski's NHL rights were traded late in his senior season as the Penguins dealt him to the Calgary Flames along with Kenny Agostino and a first round draft pick in exchange for Calgary captain Jarome Iginla. Hanowski struggled to explain his place in the blockbuster deal: "I don't know how to describe it, being part of a trade for a future Hall of Famer. It was kind of weird to see yourself be part of that deal". Immediately following SCSU's elimination from the 2013 Frozen Four and the conclusion of his college season, Hanowski signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Flames worth $810,000 per season. He made his NHL debut on April 15, 2013, in Calgary against his hometown Minnesota Wild, and scored his first goal in a 4–3 loss.

As a free agent from the Flames and with little interest from fellow NHL organizations, Hanowski signed a one-year contract with the German club, Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on September 7, 2015. He eventually stayed until the end of the 2016–17 season and then headed to fellow DEL outfit, Kölner Haie, putting pen to paper on a one-year deal in April 2017.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2005–06 Little Falls High USHS 31 35 29 64 10 — — — — — 2006–07 Little Falls High USHS 29 40 71 111 18 — — — — — 2007–08 Little Falls High USHS 26 48 47 95 20 — — — — — 2008–09 Little Falls High USHS 31 73 62 135 16 — — — — — 2009–10 St. Cloud State Huskies WCHA 43 9 10 19 19 — — — — — 2010–11 St. Cloud State Huskies WCHA 37 13 7 20 18 — — — — — 2011–12 St. Cloud State Huskies WCHA 39 23 20 43 25 — — — — — 2012–13 St. Cloud State Huskies WCHA 37 17 14 31 18 — — — — — 2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 5 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 2013–14 Abbotsford Heat AHL 55 13 18 31 18 4 0 1 1 2 2013–14 Calgary Flames NHL 11 0 2 2 2 — — — — — 2014–15 Adirondack Flames AHL 56 16 9 25 21 — — — — — 2015–16 Augsburger Panther DEL 52 20 22 42 45 — — — — — 2016–17 Augsburger Panther DEL 52 21 13 34 10 7 3 2 5 14 2017–18 Kölner Haie DEL 52 18 21 39 10 6 1 3 4 0 2018–19 Kölner Haie DEL 31 10 10 20 6 11 1 1 2 6 2019–20 Kölner Haie DEL 52 12 13 25 20 — — — — — NHL totals 16 1 2 3 2 — — — — —