The USHL Draft will be May 4th and 5th, but the Waterloo Black Hawks have already added several players likely to be important to the team's lineup next season.
In early April, the league adopted a Standard Player Development Agreement (SPDA), reaffirming the USHL's long-standing, player-first approach and enhancing the framework that supports athletes pursuing NCAA Division I hockey and National Hockey League opportunities. These agreements reflect a shared commitment between players, families, clubs, and the league to provide a structured, safe, and supportive Tier I development environment.
A number of talented prospects who joined the team for brief stints during the 2025/26 season have already signed SPDAs to indicate they will be Black Hawks when the new season begins. During the days ahead, check back to be reintroduced to some of these future stars who you may have glimpsed during the winter.
Cayden Jackman – Forward
St. Louis, Missouri
There were over 2,700 Black Hawks fans at Young Arena to see Jackman's USHL debut last November. It's true that most of the crowd wasn't there to see him specifically, but that matchup against Fargo on November 21st was the best-attended game through that point in the fall. It certainly made an impression on the St. Louis native who had just turned 16.
"The fans were loud," Jackman remembers. "It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I can't wait to experience it next year with all the home games."
Jackman has certainly been on hand in some loud rinks. His father, Barret Jackman, skated as a defenseman in over 900 NHL regular season or Stanley Cup Playoff games. The elder Jackman is a recent member of the St. Louis Blues Hall of Fame. Having a 14-year NHL veteran available as a mentor can have a profound impact on a young player's outlook.
"You need to work as hard as you can," says Cayden as he prepares to move to the USHL from AAA and high school hockey. "What really matters is the work you put in throughout the year and especially in the offseason. You just always want to get better. You will fall behind if you're not working hard, so I'm just making sure to work my hardest every day."
Although Cayden and his father play different positions, Black Hawks General Manager Kevin Gibson is enthusiastic about both the skills and intangibles which the younger Jackman will add to Waterloo's lineup this fall.
"Cayden does a lot of different things well and takes pride in playing the game the right way," says Gibson. "He is effective in all situations. He is hungry around the net and scores a lot of goals in the hard areas. He's the type of guy who can play in all situations, giving us depth at center, while also being able to play the wing. We look forward to watching his game grow in Waterloo."
In addition to two call-ups to Waterloo, Jackman also played five other USHL games with the U.S. National Team Development Program Under 17s.
"It was just great for my development to see where I needed to be for this coming year," Jackman notes about his early opportunities in the USHL. "The National Team was also a great experience. I met a lot of cool people, and it was cool playing for the U.S., but Waterloo was definitely a better experience, and I really loved the environment there."
Between the Hawks and the NTDP, Jackman skated in nine USHL games during 2025/26. When he is back at Young Arena this fall, he will step onto the ice with that experience while still remaining one of the youngest Black Hawks on the roster. Jackman will turn 17 in late October.
