Hawk Flavor at Hlinka Gretzky
June 29, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release
Waterloo, Iowa - The United States Under-18 Select Team will include three players with ties to the Waterloo Black Hawks during competition at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Tournament in July and August.
Forwards Connor Brown and Griffin Erdman, plus goaltender Calvin Vachon, were selected for the U.S. team, which was revealed on Wednesday. This year, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup competition will be held in Red Deer, Alberta from July 31st through August 6th. The eight-team event is considered an early proving ground for players who will be in their first year of NHL Draft eligibility the following summer.
Brown had a marvelous debut season as the youngest fulltime member of the Black Hawks in 2021/22. He took the ice for 61 of 62 regular season games, producing 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists), which tied four fourth on the team. Saving the best for last, Brown scored four goals - including the overtime winner - during a series-clinching playoff game against the Lincoln Stars on April 27th. It was the first four-goal postseason effort in the USHL since 2018 and the first by a Black Hawk since 1992.
Erdman joined the Black Hawks for multiple stints as an affiliate player in 2021/22, making his USHL debut during a road game against the Fargo Force on December 17th. The Delaware native appeared in two more games in late February, producing his first point - an assist - against the Des Moines Buccaneers on February 26th. Erdman also skated for Waterloo during three of six Clark Cup Playoff contests.
Vachon was chosen by the Black Hawks during Phase II of the 2022 USHL Draft. Waterloo selected the soon-to-be 17-year-old in the 10th round with the 142nd overall pick. Vachon spent last season at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minnesota. His grandfather, Rogie, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Coincidentally, as general manager of the L.A. Kings, the elder Vachon made the deal which brought Hlinka Gretzky co-namesake Wayne Gretzky to California through one of the biggest trades in hockey history.
Brown, Erdman, and Vachon will seek to help the U.S. Selects medal in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for the first time since Team USA won silver in 2016. During group play, the United States will meet Czechia, Finland and Germany. The other participating nations are Canada, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
United States Hockey League Stories from June 29, 2022
- Justin Hale Named Head Coach of Philadelphia Rebels - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Hawk Flavor at Hlinka Gretzky - Waterloo Black Hawks
- USHL Has 14 Players, Nine Coaches and Staff Named to 2022 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team - USHL
- Pair of Lumberjacks Selected to U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team for Hlinka Gretzky Cup - Muskegon Lumberjacks
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