Forward Caden Brown will join the Ohio State Buckeyes hockey program for the 2023/24 season after appearing in 35 Waterloo Black Hawks regular season games last year.

Brown came to the Hawks shortly after Christmas and made a significant impact.  Skating in just over half of Waterloo's regular season contests, he produced seven goals and 20 assists, ranking ninth on the club with 27 points.  Brown also had a +11 plus/minus differential, which tied for ninth last season.
 
During the 2023 Clark Cup Playoffs, the St. Louis native produced four points (two goals, two assists) to place second on Waterloo's roster.  Brown and Griffin Erdman were the only two players to have a point in each of the three Hawks' postseason games against the Lincoln Stars.

Before playing for the Hawks, Brown had spent the previous season-and-a-half skating as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers.  He took the ice 46 times as a Badger, recording a pair of goals and four assists.  His time in Waterloo represented a return to the USHL: throughout two seasons as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Brown played in 43 league games with five goals and ten assists.

Last year's Ohio State roster included Waterloo alumni James Marooney and Patrick Guzzo.  Meanwhile, five of Brown's Black Hawks teammates are expected to skate for other Big Ten schools next season: Owen Baker (Michigan State), Patrick Geary (Michigan State), Gavin O'Connell (Michigan State), Sam Rinzel (Minnesota), and Garrett Schifsky (Michigan).
 
Brown's college decision gives the 2022/23 Black Hawks a total of 28 college commitments.