Fewer than 90 American players have recorded 500 National Hockey League regular season points. Brock Boeser is likely to be the next to join that rarified list. The former Waterloo Black Hawk forward should skate on Friday with the milestone either one goal or assist away as the Vancouver Canucks host the New York Rangers. All 499 of Boeser's career points (233 goals, 266 assists) have been recorded as a member of the Canucks, starting with a goal during his NHL debut on March 25, 2017.
Boeser will be the second former Black Hawk to achieve the 500-point threshold, joining United States Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Pavelski. Both reached the 500-mark with one team (Pavelski scored 761 points for the San Jose Sharks before finishing his career with the Dallas Stars). Among Waterloo alumni, Boeser is trailing only Pavelski in career goals (476 to 233) and points (1068 to 499). With seven more assists, Boeser will match Jason Blake's career total of 273, tying for second in that category.
After almost one quarter of the 2026/27 NHL schedule, Boeser is one of eight former Black Hawks stars who have played in the league this year.
Mikey Anderson – Los Angeles Kings
(Waterloo: 2015/16 – 2016/17)
During his seventh full season in Los Angeles, Anderson's ice time is down. Right now, his average Time On Ice (18:19) is the lowest it has been during his NHL career. However, that's only part of the story. It is just as accurate to say the 27-year-old's ice time is becoming more specialized. No Kings player has skated more while LA is shorthanded: a total of 38:32. Anderson was second on the team in penalty killing TOI each of the past two seasons. He has an assist on one of the Kings' two shorthanded goals this season, among his four total points (two goals, two assists).
Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
Boeser hasn't simply been approaching the 500-point mark; he has been speeding toward it in recent weeks. Since Halloween, he is on a five-game point streak, and in his last eight games, Boeser has nine points (five goals, four assists). Across 20 games so far, he leads the team with seven goals and ranks second in points (17). Much of that offense (two goals, eight assists) has come in power play situations. Although it is still early, Boeser is also hitting the net on a higher percentage of his shots on goal (21.2 percent) than during any full season in his career.
Jack Drury – Nashville Predators
(Waterloo: 2016/17 – 2017/18)
Sometime before Christmas, Drury is likely to become the next Black Hawk alum to play his 300th NHL regular season game. His count is currently at 287. When he gets there, he will join 14 other former Hawks, including Dylan Samberg and Tommy Novak, who each reached the mark in the last few weeks. Like Anderson, Drury has been an important part of his team's penalty kill, ranking second in shorthanded ice time (53:44) during his first 19 games with the Predators. He also is second on the team in faceoff wins to go along with five points (two goals, three assists).
Brandon Montour – Seattle Kraken
(Waterloo: 2013/14 – 2014/15)
Seattle is just two points outside the top three in the Pacific Division, despite tying for the fewest games played (16) in the NHL currently. Montour has been in the lineup for 15 of those games and leads the Kraken with a TOI average of 24:13. In fact, it's currently the highest figure of his career. Montour's 12 points (three goals, nine assists) are also among the team leaders, placing him fourth. He has recorded at least one point in six of the last seven Kraken games, and he is now only two goals from becoming the first former Waterloo defenseman to score 100 in the NHL.
Tom Novak – Pittsburgh Penguins
(Waterloo: 2014/15)
It's good to be in the same scoring conversation with Sidney Crosby. Right now, Novak has one more goal (seven) and one more point (14) than his illustrious teammate. Those seven goals tie Novak with Nick Robertson for the current lead among Penguins skaters, with two of them coming last Saturday during a 5-2 win against the L.A. Kings. In the last few weeks, Novak has also surpassed a couple of career milestones: on Halloween, he recorded his 100th assist, then on November 3rd, he played in his 300th game (103 of those have been with Pittsburgh).
Sam Rinzel – Chicago Blackhawks
(Waterloo: 2021/22 – 2022/23)
Rinzel has never been afraid to take his shots, and that "shoot the puck" mentality has extended to his NHL career. His 60 shot attempts rank fifth for the Blackhawks and first among Chicago defensemen by a wide margin. Just 22-years-old at the outset of his second full season in the league, Rinzel has five points (one goal, four assists). Three of those (all assists) have been recorded since Halloween. At the other end of the rink, Rinzel's 16 blocked shots rank fourth on the team. He has played in all but one Blackhawks game this year, including each matchup since October 6th.
Dylan Samberg – Winnipeg Jets
(Waterloo: 2016/17)
Like Novak, the 300-game milestone has been a recent achievement for Samberg. He reached it Sunday when the Jets edged the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3. One of the most memorable games of the now 301 he has played was on November 3rd against the Montreal Canadiens. Trailing 4-0 with under three minutes left in regulation, Winnipeg rallied to force overtime. Then 3:30 into the extra period, Samberg snapped in the second overtime goal of his NHL career for an unlikely 5-4 win. The defenseman now has two goals and four assists in 19 games during 2026/27.
Max Sasson – Vancouver Canucks
(Waterloo: 2020/21)
In 2024/25, Sasson was called up for multiple stints with Vancouver, including his NHL debut. He played in 29 games, and that expanded to 66 appearances last season, as the forward consistently found his way into the Canucks' lineup. The role seems to still be growing. Sasson's ice time is up by approximately one minute per game so far in 2026/27. He has seven points (five goals, two assists) and is tracking favorably toward last winter's stats (13 goals, six assists). The 26-year-old is tied for fourth on the team in goals, scoring most recently against Edmonton last Saturday.
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