Defenseman Evan Miller led a succession of 15 prospects who joined the Waterloo Black Hawks organization during Phase I of the 2026 United States Hockey League Draft on Monday evening.

Miller was the first overall selection as General Manager Kevin Gibson conducted Waterloo's draft for the first time.  Gibson had lots of picks in the early stages, making nine choices before the end of the fifth round.
 
This is the second consecutive year Waterloo's first Phase I pick has been a defenseman.  Last season, Caleb Deanovich earned the honor; Deanovich was the youngest Black Hawk on the roster for much of 2025/26, but still contributed three goals and seven assists in 39 games. Like Deanovich, Miller already stands at more than six feet. Both blueliners also played AAA hockey in the Chicago area (Miller for Chicago Mission, Deanovich for the Chicago Reapers).  Both hope to now follow the course set by other Waterloo Phase I defensemen like Landon Nycz (a 2026 NHL Draft contender) and Patrick Geary (chosen by the Buffalo Sabres in 2024). 

The Hawks used their next five consecutive picks on forwards, including Jack Riehl to open the second round. Like Miller, Riehl already is over six feet tall. Later in the round, Waterloo added Charlie Marvin from Warroad, Minnesota. The Hawks' third round pick yielded the most notable name for Waterloo fans.  Nathan Pavelski is the son of former Black Hawks captain and Clark Cup champion Joe Pavelski.  The elder Pavelski was named to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025 and has been coaching Nathan with the Madison Capitols' AAA program.

In all, Waterloo chose 10 forwards and five defensemen.

The Black Hawks' complete Phase I Draft list follows:

Round	Player	Pos	Hometown – 24/25 Team
1	Evan Miller	D	Chicago, IL – Chicago Mission 15s
2	Jack Riehl	F	Mars, PA – Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 15s
2	Charlie Marvin	F	Warroad, MN – PEL North Stars 15s
3	Nathan Pavelski	F	Madison, WI – Madison Capitols 15s
4	Alexander Moore	F	Northville, MI – Detroit Little Caesars 15s
4	Jameson Needham	F	Woburn, MA – St. Sebastian's School
5	Alex Jankular	D	Martin, SVK – Stanstead College Prep U16s
5	Sonny Cantore	F	Chicago, IL – Chicago Fury 15s
5	Dashel Jaramillo	D	Broomfield, CO – Colorado Thunderbirds 15s
6	Drew McDevitt	F	Tustin, CA – Los Angeles Jr Kings 15s
7	Ty McGroarty	F	Newark, DE – North Jersey Avalanche 15s
9	Dmitriy Tretyak	D	Macomb, MI – Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 15s
11	Connor O'Gara	F	Chicago, IL – Chicago Mission 15s
11	Benjamin Wolfram	F	Victoria, MN – Chaska/Chanhassen Stormhawks AA
12	Brody Rauser	D	Rogers, MN – Rogers High School

The USHL Draft resumes on Tuesday with Phase II covering a wider spectrum of players. All Phase I prospects chosen leaguewide Monday were born in 2010.