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USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Go Wild, Vinnie Hinostroza

February 5, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Waterloo, Iowa - Waterloo Black Hawks alumnus Vinnie Hinostroza was claimed from the National Hockey League waiver wire by the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.

Hinostroza had opened the season with the Nashville Predators organization and was called up from the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League shortly after Christmas. The Wild will become his seventh NHL team. Minnesota's next game is Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

During the first three months of the 2024/25 campaign, Hinostroza was enjoying his best run as an AHLer. The 30-year-old produced 33 points in 26 games for Milwaukee and was leading the league in scoring at the time he was recalled by Nashville. He was selected for the AHL All-Star Classic, although he did not participate in the festivities this week, due to his reassignment. Hinostroza's time with the Predators ends after 13 NHL appearances with two assists. That includes setting up a goal by Filip Forsberg on Monday.

Hinostroza was a Waterloo Black Hawk for three seasons from 2010/11 to 2012/13. In that span, he played in 151 USHL regular season games, scoring 53 goals and notching 73 assists. Those 126 career points tie for 10th during the Black Hawks' junior era. They don't include some of his most exciting performances for the organization; in August of 2012, Hinostroza was a key member of Waterloo's team which won the silver medal during the IIHF-sanctioned Junior Club World Cup in Omsk, Russia. During the tournament semifinal versus Linkopings of Sweden, he scored a dramatic game-tying goal in the closing seconds, then a shootout winner. On domestic ice, Hinostroza was a member of a Waterloo squad which reached the Clark Cup Final in 2012. The following year, the 2012/13 Hawks tied a then-team record with 39 regular season wins.

Amidst his time in Waterloo, Hinostroza was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks during the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He later spent two successful seasons at Notre Dame before signing his entry-level NHL contract. Now he joins the Wild just 13 games short of 400 regular season appearances in hockey's top league. Hinostroza has recorded 54 NHL goals and 99 assists. In addition to Nashville and Chicago, he has also played for the Arizona Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hinostroza's international experience includes representing the United States during the IIHF World Junior Championships (2014) and Men's World Championships (2016).

When Hinostroza skates as a member of the Wild for the first time, he will become the fifth former Hawk to appear for the St. Paul-based club. The group includes his former Waterloo teammate Justin Kloos, as well as JT Brown, Rem Pitlick, and Nick Swaney. Minnesota's primary minor league affiliates are both Iowa teams: the Des Moines-based Iowa Wild of the AHL and Coralville's Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL.

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