USHL Waterloo Black Hawks

Nine New Hawks in Phase I

Published on May 2, 2023 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release


Waterloo, Iowa - Three skaters from Michigan, two USA Hockey National Champions, and an intriguing forward from Slovakia are among the players the Waterloo Black Hawks selected during Phase I of the 2023 United States Hockey League Draft on Monday.

Under the USHL's parameters for Phase I, all of the new Waterloo prospects were born in 2007. While some of these players could appear at Young Arena as soon as next season, this portion of the draft typically provides teams with an opportunity to build toward future years.

Nicholas Kosiba from the Detroit Little Caesars program was the Hawks' opening choice, 13th overall during the first round. Kosiba helped Little Caesars fill the net with 135 points (51 goals, 84 assists) in 80 games last winter. This spring, he was invited to participate in USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Selection Camp. The Hawks' past ties to Little Caesars have included successful players like Ryder Rolston, Ethan Szmagaj, and Patrick Guzzo, who was a first round Phase I pick by Waterloo in 2017.

Michigan was the most common state of origin for the Hawks on Monday, beginning with Kosiba. During the third round, Waterloo choseTravis Lefere of the Fox Motors Hockey Club in the Grand Rapids area. The team's final pick of the day was defenseman Landon Nycz of the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies.

This spring, the L.A. Jr. Kings won USA Hockey's 15 Only National Championship. Forward Max Silver (7th Round, 94th overall) and defenseman Timofei Runtso (7th Round, 103rd overall) were both part of that squad. The Jr. Kings defeated the vaunted Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 3-2 in overtime, almost exactly a month ago on April 3rd.

The only player Waterloo chose from outside North America was Slovakian forward Adam Nemec. Already 6-feet tall, Nemec spent the season playing for his club's U18 and U20 squads. He won't turn 16 until October.

Waterloo's complete Phase I results from Tuesday are below:

Round/Overall Pick

Player

Pos.

2022/23 Team

1/13

Nicholas Kosiba

F

Detroit Little Caesars

2/28

Jesse Orlowsky

F

Long Island Gulls

3/32

Chase Jette

F

Bishop Kearney Selects

3/43

Travis Lefere

F

Fox Motors HC

6/77

Drew Allison

D

South Kent Selects Academy

7/94

Max Silver

F

L.A. Jr. Kings

7/103

Timofei Runtso

D

L.A. Jr. Kings

8/115

Adam Nemec

F

Nitra Jr.

9/133

Landon Nycz

D

Oakland Jr. Grizzlies

Phase II of the USHL Draft will be conducted Wednesday, providing teams the opportunity to choose from a broader pool of players who will be likely candidates to play in the league during the 2023/24 season.

Check out the Waterloo Black Hawks Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2023


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