Hawks Reveal Preseason Roster
September 7, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Waterloo Black Hawks News Release
Waterloo, Iowa – The Waterloo Black Hawks will start the preseason with notable experience at every position, including third-year goaltender Emmett Croteau, 2021/22 leading scorer Garrett Schifsky, and 2022 First Round NHL Draft Pick Sam Rinzel.
On the eve of their first exhibition game, the Hawks shared an initial draft of the current player list. The regular season roster will be finalized during the weeks before Waterloo’s opening game on September 24th. Meanwhile, the Hawks’ first preseason test will be on Thursday versus the Tri-City Storm on neutral ice at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.
“It’s been a long time getting to this point, and we look forward to seeing what this team can do,” said Waterloo General Manager Bryn Chyzyk. “There is still work to be done as we make the last – and most difficult – decisions about the players who can best help us achieve our goals in 2022/23. There will be a lot of important ice time packed into these next couple of weeks.”
Among veteran Black Hawks, Croteau has spent two full seasons in Waterloo. His 23 regular season wins during that time tie for 16th during the Hawks’ junior era. With seven more victories, Croteau would become just the 10th Waterloo netminder since 1979 with 30 career wins. In July, Croteau was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. He will share the crease with Owen Millward and Jack Spicer during the exhibition slate.
Schifsky tied for 12th in the USHL with 28 goals last season and paced the Hawks with 46 points. His eight power play goals and five game-winning scores also topped the team’s stat columns in those categories. Schifsky is committed to the University of Michigan. Connor Brown (11 goals, 13 assists), James Hong (11 goals, 13 assists), and Gavin O’Connell (eight goals, 16 assists) also return after producing 24 points apiece in their rookie seasons.
Rinzel became the fourth Black Hawk to be selected during the opening round of the NHL Draft when he was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks with the 25th overall pick. In a 21-game sampling, the 18-year-old had two regular season goals and eight assists. Fellow returnees Patrick Geary, Tyler Procious, and Ben Robertson are also back for their second seasons in Waterloo. The Hawks’ blue line is further enhanced by the addition of 2022 tender Keith McInnis and USHL Phase II Draft First Round pick Aaron Pionk.
Waterloo will play home preseason games at Young Arena on September 14th (Cedar Rapids, 7 p.m.) and 17th (Des Moines, 3 p.m.). The Black Hawks’ regular season home opener is on Saturday, October 8th versus the Tri-City Storm at 6:05 p.m. Tickets for all preseason and regular season home games are on sale now through tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com.
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