Waterloo Black Hawks players have chosen second year forward Myles Hilman to be the team's 2023/24 captain, the Black Hawks announced on Thursday.

Last year, Hilman was the only player selected for a formal leadership assignment during his first year in Waterloo.  He served as an associate captain.  This year's associates are Jaedon Kerr, Gavin Lindberg, and Connor Brown.
 
 "These guys were party to many successes last season, but they also know we didn't achieve everything we set out to do," said Black Hawks Head Coach Matt Smaby.  "Last season is over with, and now it is about Myles and our leaders applying what they learned from the highs and the lows to take us as far as we can go this year."

Hilman is currently on the Black Hawks' season-opening injured reserve list.  He could return to the lineup as soon as mid-October.  During his first USHL season, the Blackfalds, Alberta, native was voted the team's Hardest Worker.  He notched 17 goals in 52 games, including a pair of shorthanded scores and three game-winners.  Hilman was previously the captain of the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and is committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Kerr is the only defenseman on Waterloo's current roster who skated with the Hawks for a full season in 2022/23.  He played in 58 of 62 regular season games, plus all three of the team's postseason contests.  The Notre Dame recruit tallied a pair of goals and 12 assists, along with a +9 plus/minus differential in 2022/23.

Lindberg joined the Black Hawks late in the 2021/22 campaign before skating in 58 games last winter.  Among returning players, he ranked as Waterloo's second-leading scorer after accumulating 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) a season ago.  The future Colorado College Tiger has three assists in the Hawks' first three games of this year, bringing his USHL career total to 38 points in 74 regular season appearances.

Brown is Waterloo's active leader in regular season games played at 126.  When he was a rookie, the Western Michigan recruit was the youngest member of the Black Hawks.  Even at that time, he was reliable at the faceoff dot and as a shot blocker.  Brown has produced 44 regular season points (21 goals, 23 assists), plus six postseason goals in nine Clark Cup Playoff games.

Waterloo's home opener will be against the Omaha Lancers on Saturday, October 14th at 6:05 p.m. Tickets for all Black Hawks home games are currently available by calling the Domino's Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680 or online from tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com.