Most National Hockey League players are just 15 days away from an extended mid-season rest. The NHL will pause for the Olympic Winter Games on February 6th. Play won't resume until the 25th. Players selected for their respective national teams will have the whirlwind opportunity to fly to Italy, participate in the two-week tournament, then dash back to their regular clubs. But for most of the league's rank-and-file skaters, the Olympics represent a rare in-season vacation.
Former Black Hawk Patrick Russell will represent Denmark during the Olympics. Russell advanced from Waterloo to St. Cloud State, then appeared in 59 games for the Edmonton Oilers from 2018 to 2021. Since 2021/22, he has been playing in Europe, primarily Sweden, although the current campaign is his first in Germany. This will be Russell's second Olympics after also taking the ice for the Danes in 2022.
Meanwhile, Waterloo's NHL alumni contingent will be very busy during the remainder of January and start of February ahead of the opportunity to eventually relax and enjoy some spectating.
Mikey Anderson – Los Angeles Kings
(Waterloo: 2015/16 – 2016/17)
Barring a setback which would keep Anderson out of the Kings' lineup, he is on track to play in his 400th regular season game before the Olympic break. Anderson has perfect attendance so far in 2025/26 and could challenge the career-best 77 appearances he made in both 2022/23 and 2024/25. Mikey also has undisputed bragging rights in the Anderson family. His older brother Joey (under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs) has skated in 169 NHL games. Mikey also has a hefty scoring edge (90 career points to 40).
Matej Blumel – Boston Bruins
(Waterloo: 2017/18 – 2018/19)
Blumel played in four games for the Bruins during November but was injured during a game on the 26th and placed on injured reserve. He was activated just after Christmas, but immediately assigned to the Providence Bruins in the AHL. The 25-year-old has had a successful nine-game run there since returning. Starting from New Year's Eve, Blumel has seven points (five goals, two assists) and is now four goals from 100 during his AHL career.
Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
Last Saturday, Boeser appeared in his 600th NHL regular season game. That includes 48 this season, during which the 28-year-old has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists). He is one of six former Hawks with at least 600 NHL appearances. Boeser is on the verge of officially becoming Waterloo's second-most productive alum, behind only Joe Pavelski. He is only five goals away from matching Craig Smith's 220 and 28 points shy of Jason Blake's 482. Both of those marks are achievable for Boeser in 2025/26, with 32 games left on the Canucks' schedule.
Jack Drury – Colorado Avalanche
(Waterloo: 2016/17 – 2017/18)
With added ice time in Colorado, Drury is thriving. He is averaging 14 minutes, 44 seconds per night, which equates to approximately two extra shifts per game, compared to last season. Those extra opportunities come as Drury has delivered one of the best faceoff records in the NHL. He wins 58.4 percent of his draws, which stands 13th among players with 100 or more faceoffs this season. Drury is also +13 and on the way to easily eclipsing his best prior plus/minus (+4 in 2023/24). In 48 games, he has seven goals and eight assists.
Vinnie Hinostroza – Minnesota Wild
(Waterloo: 2010/11 – 2012/13)
When Hinostroza joined Minnesota during the second half of the 2024/25 season, he became the fifth former Waterloo player to appear for the Wild. He has now made more appearances for the club (62 and counting) than any of the others. This season, Hinostroza has contributed two goals and six assists, including two points in his last four games. He is also moving toward becoming the Waterloo alum with the seventh-most NHL games played. Andrew Alberts currently holds that spot in the record book at 459. Hinostroza's count is up to 449.
Brandon Montour – Seattle Kraken
(Waterloo: 2013/14 – 2014/15)
A hand injury might have ended any hope for Montour to claim a place on the Canadian Olympic roster. Due to surgery, he did not play between December 16th and January 15th. The good news: since returning to action last week, Montour has an assist in three of his first four games. Now he seeks his first goal since December 6th. This season, Montour has scored six times and produced 13 assists. Only six of those points have been recorded in power play situations (by comparison, he had 33 power play points during his most successful year with the Florida Panthers, 2022/23).
Tom Novak – Pittsburgh Penguins
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
On Wednesday night, Novak was the #2 Star in Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. He set up the eventual game-winning goal with a second period assist. Then in the third period, Novak scored the game's final goal, finishing a three-on-two rush on a backhanded chance. The two-point night gives him five points in his last four games. Novak will soon match the 54 games he played last season combined between Nashville and Pittsburgh in an injury-shortened campaign. So far in 49 games, Novak has nine goals and 17 assists this year.
Sam Rinzel – Chicago Blackhawks
(Waterloo: 2021/22 – 2023/24)
Rinzel played in 28 Chicago games with one goal and seven assists during the early months of the season. His most recent appearance at the NHL level was on December 7th against the Anaheim Ducks. During the week which followed, Rinzel was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs. Across 16 AHL contests, he has nine points (one goal, eight assists). He recorded his first goal in the AHL on a power play during a 6-2 win against the Manitoba Moose on January 13th. Four of Rinzel's AHL points have come in power play situations.
Dylan Samberg – Winnipeg Jets
(Waterloo: 2016/17)
In many regards, Samberg has been making up for lost time following a season-opening stint on injured reserve. He has blocked 60 shots, which is fourth-most among Winnipeg players. The three teammates currently with more have all played in at least seven additional games. The 26-year-old draws more ice time when the team is penalty-killing (2:49 per game) than any other Jet. Remarkably, Samberg also has Winnipeg's fifth-highest total time on ice in overtime (six minutes, 13 seconds). He is still looking for his first goal of 2025/26, but owns eight assists in 33 games.
Max Sasson – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2020/21)
On Monday, Sasson scored his 10th goal of the season. As a result, the second-year forward trails only teammate Brock Boeser for the most goals by a Waterloo alum in the NHL during the 2025/26 campaign. Sasson also owns a pair of assists for 12 total points. After being in the Canucks' lineup 29 times as a rookie, Sasson has only missed three of the Canucks' 50 games. His 26 blocked shots place him second among Vancouver forwards. Sasson has also taken the fourth-most faceoffs (272) on the team.
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