At the Fall Classic

The Waterloo Black Hawks open the new United States Hockey League season this week during the DICK'S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic.  Wednesday night, Waterloo meets the Muskegon Lumberjacks at 6 p.m. Central in a rematch of the 2025 Clark Cup Final.  Then at 7 p.m. on Thursday, the Hawks skate against the Dubuque Fighting Saints.  Waterloo met Dubuque eight times last season but will face them on just five occasions this year, including Thursday.  Meanwhile, Muskegon and Dubuque are notably familiar to each other.  The Lumberjacks and Saints met in the 2025 Eastern Conference Final.  The fourth-seeded Lumberjacks surprised the second-seeded Saints with a three-game sweep.

Practical Experience

This season's Black Hawks roster looks substantially different than the one which started – or finished – last year.  However, Waterloo may not be in such a different position than they were last September.  The players who were on the ice for the 2024/25 season opener had a combined 402 games of prior regular season USHL experience.  This year, the figure will be a maximum of 330; it would be closer (389), except defenseman Morgan Brady is opening the campaign on injured reserve.  Adding playoff participation also tightens the differential: 421 games of meaningful experience last fall versus a possible 388 entering Wednesday's tilt.
 
Letter Winners

Brock Schultz has been named the captain of the 2025/26 Black Hawks.  At the USHL level, the 20-year-old has played in 81 regular season games with 11 goals and 18 assists.  Last spring, Schultz had five points (one goal, four assists) in six playoff games but missed the Hawks' last nine postseason contests due to an injury.  Recently, Schultz committed to the University of North Dakota.  Waterloo's associate captains will be Chase Jette, Ty Mason, and Morgan Brady.

Results in Pittsburgh

Since the USHL Fall Classic became part of the regular season in 2018, the Hawks are 6-5-1 during the event.  Last autumn, Waterloo defeated the Chicago Steel 4-0, before falling to USA Hockey's National Team Development Program 5-2.  The Hawks have never met Muskegon nor Dubuque in Pittsburgh.

Last Season

A strong playoff run pushed Waterloo to the winner-take-all fifth game of the Clark Cup Final in May.  In overtime, the Muskegon Lumberjacks edged the Hawks 4-3.  It was Waterloo's first trip to the Final series since 2014.  Head Coach Matt Smaby's 34-18-10 record was his third 30-win season during a four-year tenure with the team.  The Hawks' seven top scorers from the 2024/25 regular season have moved on. 

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The Black Hawks' first game at Young Arena this fall will be against the Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday, September 27th at 6:35 p.m.  The season-opener is presented by Rydell Auto with a pregame party planned for SingleSpeed Brewing's downtown Waterloo taproom.  For tickets to the matchup against Des Moines or any other Black Hawks regular season home game, visit tickets.waterlooblackhawks.com or call the Domino's Black Hawks Box Office at (319) 291-7680.