Greenville, S.C. — The Greenville Swamp Rabbits have been busy building an extensive roster for the 2024-25 ECHL season. Many players are returning faces from last season, either entering their second or fourth year with the club. But today, Aug. 22, the club announced that they have signed veteran forward Tyson Fawcett.
About Fawcett
Fawcett, 31 years old, from Barrie, Ontario, will enter his seventh season in the ECHL and twelfth in professional hockey. First turning professional during the 2014-15 season, the veteran forward played 59 games for the Brampton Beast; he accumulated nine goals and 15 assists for 29 points for his inaugural season. During his third season in the ECHL, 2016-17, Fawcett got his first American Hockey League (AHL) exposure with the Rochester Americans. He would play just two games, earning no points, in his first and only appearance in the AHL.
Before going overseas to Europe, the five-foot-seven, 165-pound forward spent the 2018-19 season for three different ECHL teams. The first team was with the Jacksonville Icemen, where he played 29 games and recorded three goals and one assist. After he got traded from the Icemen, he spent the season with his second team, the Reading Royals. For Reading, Fawcett played only six games and earned just a goal. Then he got traded to the Atlanta Gladiators, where he finished out the season by playing 18 games, accumulating four points from a pair of goals and assists.
His Career In Europe
After the 2018-19 season, Fawcett embarked on a new path in professional hockey by heading overseas to England to play in the EIHL. He played four seasons in the English League for the Manchester Storm. During his first season, 2019-20, Fawcett played in 49 games, earning a record of 14 goals and 12 assists. In his second season, he played just 14 games during what was called the EIHL Series, as he accumulated three goals and seven assists. He also wore the alternate captain (A) badge during that season. For his third but second complete season with the Storm (2021–22), Fawcett participated in 54 games and accumulated 30 points from 13 goals and 17 assists. It is worth noting that he did not wear the alternate captain’s badge (A) during this season. Reviewing his final season in the EIHL with the Storm, Fawcett participated in 51 games while wearing the “A,” earning a tally of 11 goals and 11 assists.
In total, Fawcett compiled 88 points from 46 goals and 47 assists for 168 games. He also collected eight goals and ten assists from 27 games during the EIHL Cup.
His Return to The “Coast”
After spending the last four seasons in England, Fawcett flew back to the ECHL to play for the Reading Royals during last season. He managed to play a complete 72 game season with the team, accumulating 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points. Fawcett also took a handful of penalty minutes for that season of 53. The five-foot-seven forward may be short in stature, but he isn’t afraid of dropping the mitts every once in a while. On Feb. 24, 2024 at Adirondack against the Thunder, Fawcett dropped the gloves with six-foot-seven player, Jackson Van De Leest, and held his ground with an amplified hockey fight.
Swamp Rabbits’ Acquisition of Fawcett
Back in June 20, the Swamp Rabbits announced that the Royals traded Fawcett’s rights to the Greenville club to close their Jake Smith trade that was on February 21. Fawcett is a physical player who brings expirence and depth to the Swamp Rabbits. He will be set on a bottom-six line for next season, but that could change after training camp — which will occur in early October.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will host the Orlando Solar Bears on the opening night of the regular season on October 18 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
