Former Waterloo Black Hawks forward Brendan McMorrow will skate for the United States National Junior Team when the 2026 IIHF World Under-20 Championships begin in Minnesota this weekend.

USA Hockey named the 25 players for the final roster Wednesday.  McMorrow is currently a freshman at the University of Denver and skated for the Black Hawks in 2024/25.  In addition, Waterloo goaltender Phileas Lachat will represent Switzerland, and former Hawks forward Alex Misiak will play for Slovakia.
 
U.S. games will be played at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul; the opening contest for Team USA is against Germany on Friday at 5 p.m.  The U.S. will also meet Switzerland, Slovakia, and Sweden during pool play.  The Gold and Bronze Medal Games during the 10-team event are scheduled for Monday, January 5th.  Last winter, Team USA won gold when the competition was held in Ottawa.

McMorrow led the Black Hawks with 24 goals last season and ranked third with 42 points.  The Lakeville, Minnesota, native paced Waterloo with 14 power play scores and tied for the most game-winning goals (six). Both of those figures tied for second in the United States Hockey League.

During the Clark Cup Playoffs, McMorrow contributed seven additional goals and 14 total points.  He scored a series-clinching, double-overtime goal against the Sioux Falls Stampede during the Western Conference Semifinals.  McMorrow's strong season in Waterloo led the Los Angeles Kings to select him during the seventh round of the 2025 National Hockey League Draft.

As a freshman at Denver, McMorrow has played in 17 NCAA games so far this season.  He recorded his first collegiate goal against Boston College on October 24th.  To date, he has produced five points (two goals, three assists) and is +6.  The Pioneers are currently 12-6-1.

McMorrow will be the first Waterloo alumnus to appear for the U.S. during the World Junior Championships since Sam Rinzel in 2024.  When Rinzel was part of the 2024 World Juniors squad, the United States won gold in Sweden.  Former Hawks goaltender Logan Stein was also part of a gold-medal-winning team in 2021.  Team USA has won gold on seven occasions during the competition.

Since the beginning of last season, Lachat has played in 18 games for the Hawks, including 15 appearances in net this season. His career record in the USHL is 5-10-3 with a 3.66 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.  Lachat made a career-best 39 saves on Halloween during a 4-3 overtime win at Green Bay.

Misiak spent part of the 2024/25 season in Waterloo.  He skated in 28 games, recording seven goals and 11 assists.  Misiak also played for Slovakia's squad at the World Under-18 Championships last spring.