Strengthening the Black Hawks
July 18, 2025 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Waterloo Black Hawks News Release
Waterloo, Iowa - Spenser Popinga has been promoted to director of sports performance as he prepares for his 13th season with the Waterloo Black Hawks, the team announced Friday.
The Waldorf College graduate has worked with Waterloo players since the 2013/14 season, serving primarily as the team's strength coach during that time. Twenty-eight Black Hawks have been drafted by NHL teams after training with Popinga, including first round selections Brock Boeser (2015), Shane Bowers (2017), and Sam Rinzel (2022). The new role reflects Popinga's determination to provide the most effective and innovative ways to develop athletes in-season through vigorous weight training programs, functional mobility, and supplementation.
"The Black Hawks are committed to a comprehensive strategy of development; the weight room is important, but there are many other aspects where Spenser has helped our players for more than a decade, and the organization believed his title should reflect that," said Black Hawks Managing Partner Eric Petersen. "This announcement is an affirmation of the Black Hawks' focus on off-ice conditioning, and I think many of our alumni would agree that Spenser has been important to their immediate success in Waterloo, while providing a foundation for their advancement in the years which followed."
Popinga says it has been gratifying to work with high-level athletes at a pivotal time in their careers.
"When our players first arrive, they often have a lot to learn, but the biggest part is that they become their own teacher. Not only are they coached, but they know 'why' we implement our program and can use that knowledge for their own future development," Popinga reflects. "The Black Hawks have continuously raised the bar to enhance player performance, and I am excited for what's ahead as we continue to advance."
Popinga is well-regarded in American junior hockey. He has been selected to serve with the U.S. Junior Select Team staff for the World Junior A Challenge each time the event has been held since 2018. Popinga's prior experience as an equipment manager makes him one of the most versatile and valued members of the Black Hawks organization. His equipment manager experience also created staff opportunities to be on the bench for three USHL/NHL Top Prospects Games (2015, 2018, and 2019).
New Black Hawks players will arrive in Waterloo to begin working with Popinga at the end of August, in preparation for the United States Hockey League preseason. The Black Hawks' regular season opener will be against the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Wednesday, September 17th during the 2025 DICK'S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
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