Waterloo Black Hawks General Manager Bryn Chyzyk has added two new sets of eyes to the group of scouts tasked with bringing the top young hockey players to the Cedar Valley each year.

Throughout the winter, Josh Mitchell and Gavin Chiasson will be evaluating and reporting on the next group of potential Black Hawks.  They will each watch dozens of games as the organization prepares a draft list for the spring of 2024.  Scouts will also play a significant role in assessing prospects during summer camps, assisting Chyzyk and Hawks coaches as the 2024/25 Waterloo roster is assembled.
 
"We are very pleased to welcome Josh and Gavin to the organization," said Chyzyk.  "They join a group which has brought in a lot of talent for this season, and we're just beginning to see some of those exciting results.  There are always more games to watch, and we plan to make the most of the insights Josh and Gavin will be able to share."

Mitchell is a native of Osoyoos, British Columbia, and played in the BCHL before attending Rochester Institute of Technology. He captained the Tigers to two Atlantic Hockey Association championships in 2015 and 2016 while skating in a total of 154 college games with 31 goals and 90 assists.  Mitchell played professionally in Germany until 2020.  He holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and currently coaches in Rochester, New York, for the BK Selects program.

Chiasson is based in Sudbury, Ontario.  He is the owner and operator of Recruit Scouting and recruitscouting.com.  The service provides coverage of prospects throughout the hockey world, specializing in analysis ahead of the NHL Draft.  Chiasson is a graduate of Laurentian University in Sudbury, where he studied Geography and History; he is currently pursuing an additional degree in Education.

Mitchell and Chiasson are now part of a Waterloo scouting corps which includes veterans Matt Grainda, Justin Froese, Jake Bennett, and Jake VanBesien.  More information about Black Hawks scouts is available here.