Eight former Waterloo Black Hawks are on NHL rosters at the outset of the 2026/27 season. Jack Drury is the only member of that group who relocated during the offseason; the Nashville Predators made a trade to add Drury from the Colorado Avalanche. Before that, he had spent a season-and-a-half in Denver. All of Waterloo's other NHL alumni have played at least a full year with their current team. Five of them (Mikey Anderson, Brock Boeser, Sam Rinzel, Dylan Samberg, and Max Sasson) have never played anywhere else.
It's appropriate that Nashville traded for Drury. Six previous Waterloo alumni played nearly 1,200 cumulative regular season games for the Predators, more than for any other team. However, Nashville did not have a former Hawk on their roster last season. Drury's Nashville debut earlier this month made him the seventh alum to skate for the Predators, more than for any other NHL team.
The current class of former Hawks in the NHL has quickly accounted for 53 games played through just over two weeks. There's much more which awaits in 2026/27.
Mikey Anderson – Los Angeles Kings
(Waterloo: 2015/16 – 2016/17)
This is Anderson's eighth season in the NHL after debuting during the COVID-shortened 2019/20 campaign. The 27-year-old has been a consistent blue line presence for the Kings, playing 430 games for the organization so far. He has been a "plus" or "even" player each year, adding up to a cumulative +76 for his career. So far this season, Anderson leads the Kings will 11 blocked shots after ranking second last year (133). His ice time is down slightly compared to recent years; through five games, Anderson has averaged 17:27, compared with 20:34 in 2025/26.
Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
Tuesday night, Boeser scored a second period power play goal while Vancouver visited the New York Islanders. The Canucks fell 3-2, but Boeser moved up in the annals of Waterloo hockey history. That point broke a tie between Boeser and Jason Blake for the second-highest NHL point total among former Hawks. Boeser is up to a career count of 487 points (five this season) and now only trails Joe Pavelski (1,068). Four of Boeser's five points this year have come in power play situations, giving him 169 power play points in his career.
Jack Drury – Nashville Predators
(Waterloo: 2016/17 – 2017/18)
Nashville was clearly enthusiastic about adding Drury to the roster. First they traded for him in June, then they followed up by signing him to a five-year contract. Drury made news again as the season opened when he was named the Predators' newest alternate captain. He is coming off a year in which he played in all 82 games for the Colorado Avalanche, set a new career high for goals (10) and matched his best previous mark for points (27). Drury was also +15. He picked up his first Nashville point – an assist – last Thursday during a 5-2 win against Montreal.
Brandon Montour – Seattle Kraken
(Waterloo: 2013/14 – 2014/15)
At the outset of 2026/27, Montour has played more NHL regular season games (672) than any other active Waterloo alumnus. That includes 152 with the Kraken since he signed with Seattle in the summer of 2024. The blue-liner has produced double-digit goal totals during each of his first two Kraken seasons. That leaves him just five goals away from 100 during his career. He would be just the fifth former Hawk – and first defenseman – to reach that milestone. Montour hasn't scored so far this season, but he does have five assists.
Tom Novak – Pittsburgh Penguins
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
When the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, it provided the opportunity for Novak to represent the United States at the IIHF Worl Championships. During the competition in Switzerland, he led Team USA with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in eight games. That effort – and a 2025/26 season which saw Novak play in all 82 Penguins games – set up the 29-year-old for a good start to the new schedule. He tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in Pittsburgh's first four games.
Sam Rinzel – Chicago Blackhawks
(Waterloo: 2021/22 – 2022/23)
Rinzel's two seasons at the University of Minnesota included plenty of power play success. When Rinzel signed with Chicago during the spring of 2025, three of his five points came on special teams during nine late-season games. However, last season he tallied just one power play point across 54 appearances. Special teams shifts could be more plentiful for the 22-year-old based on the early-season sample. Rinzel already has one power play goal and an assist during the first half dozen games of the current schedule.
Dylan Samberg – Winnipeg Jets
(Waterloo: 2016/17)
On October 7th, Samberg charted two assists during Winnipeg's 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche. It was the seventh multipoint game during the defenseman's career and represents the potential downpayment on what could be Samberg's fifth consecutive double-digit assist season. He set a career high with 17 in 2023/24. There are some other areas where Samberg is likely to have more prominent numbers. The 27-year-old currently leads the Jets with 13 blocked shots, ranks second in average ice time (22:33), and is tied for second with ten hits.
Max Sasson – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2020/21)
Like Novak, Sasson was selected to represent the United States during the 2026 IIHF World Championships. He produced a goal and an assist while dressing for all eight games during the tournament. Back to work for Vancouver, Sasson earned the distinction of recording the first goal by a Hawks alum during the current season, helping the Canucks to a 6-5 opening night win against Edmonton on September 29th. Just over a week later, Sasson played in his 100th career NHL game on October 8th when Vancouver fell to the Carolina Hurricanes. Overall, he has two goals and an assist in eight games.
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