2024 USHL Draft Review: Waterloo Black Hawks

Ryan Sikes

Jun 23, 2024, 20:49

Ryan Sikes

Jun 23, 2024, 20:49

The Waterloo Black Hawks selected one of the best young forwards with their first pick in Phase I of the USHL Draft and added two experienced forwards at the front of the Phase II portion.

Photo courtesy of Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff - 2024 USHL Draft Review: Waterloo Black Hawks

The Waterloo Black Hawks wrapped up their 2024 USHL Phase I Draft class with five forwards, four defensemen, and one goaltender.

The Hawks kicked off the Futures Draft by taking Noah Davidson, one of the most talented forwards in Phase I. The 15-year-old, listed at 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds, spent the 2023-24 season with the Shattuck St. Mary's 16U team, where he finished with 29 goals and 32 assists, making his 61 points the fourth-most on the roster.

Taking a player of his caliber, especially his size for his age, Waterloo felt fortunate to land Davidson with the No. 8 overall pick. Davidson was selected 31st overall in the second round of the 2023 WHL US Prospect Draft, further demonstrating how highly sought after the young forward has been for prospective junior hockey clubs.

"Seeing a young man, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds at his age, that can play and has the skill set that he does is pretty darn impressive," Black Hawks head coach Matt Smaby told The Hockey News. "Watching him in camp, I'm really excited about continuing to watch him grow and get better, and I think he's starting at a really high spot, just with his ability to move and skate and handle the puck, just really impressed with him. You can't teach size, and he's got a ton of natural instincts that I think are really important, so I think there's a lot there that we're really, really excited about."

Following up on the Davidson pick, the Waterloo Black Hawks went to the blueline to grab defenseman Nick Bogas with the 23rd overall pick in the second round. The 15-year-old, listed at 5-foot-11 and 157 pounds, hails from Royal Oak, Michigan, and spent this past season with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 15U team. There, Bogas led all blueliners with 39 points on 12 goals and 27 assists.

"When you're looking at defensemen, one, skating ability, two, puck handling ability, and three, engagement, and for him, he checked all those boxes," Smaby said. "I really like his efficiency with the puck, his ability to kind of join in on the offense and play on both ends of the ice, and then the other thing that stands out with him is just his physicality, his willingness to engage physically, and shut plays down. I think he did a tremendous job of that at camp. He jumped in right at a high level with all our older guys, returners, draft picks, and free agents and really stood out with his ability to do those things."

With Bogas, the Black Hawks are planning on having him with the team in the fall and keeping the timeline open, with a keen sense of what is best for him and his development.

Here is a look at the Waterloo Black Hawks' entire 2024 USHL Phase I Draft class:

Round 1, Pick 8: Noah Davidson, F

Round 2, Pick 23: Nick Bogas, D

Round 3, Pick 38: Caden Harvey, F

Round 4, Pick 54: Kade Meyer, D

Round 4, Pick 58: Liam Schultz, F

Round 6, Pick 80: Owen DeGraff, F

Round 6, Pick 83: Jacoby Weiner, G

Round 7, Pick 98: Leo Laschon, D

Round 8, Pick 113: Jaxon Williams, F

Round 8, Pick 120: James Rieber, D

In the Phase II portion of the draft, Waterloo took forwards with three of their first four picks. With several high-end forwards moving onto the next level, adding experience up front was priority number one. Like several other teams in Phase II, the Black Hawks selected a player from the U.S. National Team Development Program eyeing a third year of development in this league.

With the No. 8 overall pick in the first round, Waterloo selected forward Brendan McMorrow. The 18-year-old, listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, primarily played in a bottom-six role for the NTDP U18 team this past season. There, the Denver commit recorded 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists in 61 games played. He likely figures to see big minutes with Waterloo in the 2024-25 season.

"I think kind of heading into the draft, one, who's the best fit for our team and our organization, kind of culturally and who they are as a person, and then, two, kind of figuring out what would fit best with what we're looking for," Smaby said of Waterloo's approach in Phase II. "For us, being able to snag (Brendan) McMorrow at the top was a big get and something that we're really, really excited about because I think he's going to fit in with us really well."

Following the McMorrow selection, the Black Hawks selected another forward, Ryan Zaremba. The 18-year-old, despite being undersized (5-foot-9 and 163 pounds), found a way to be an effective player for the BCHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders. There, the Minnesota-Duluth commit tallied 14 goals and 42 assists in 57 games.

"He's really high-paced, kind of goes up and down the ice, has that natural goal-scoring ability," Smaby said of Zaremba. "Playing above the border last year, I think he's ready to make the jump to our level. I think he's going to be a guy, just with his ability to skate and kind of the dynamic way in which he plays, is going to be a really good fit for us. I think both (McMorrow and Zaremba) kind of coupled together just add to the offensive side of the puck for us, which is good, but also have some really good skating ability and ability to work and compete on both ends of the ice."

Here is a look at the Waterloo Black Hawks' entire 2024 USHL Phase II Draft class:

Round 1, Pick 8: Brendan McMorrow, F

Round 2, Pick 23: Ryan Zaremba, F

Round 3, Pick 35: Brady Peddle, D

Round 3, Pick 43: Kaeden Hawkins, F

Round 6, Pick 79: Phileas Lachat, G

Round 6, Pick 82: Morgan Brady, D

Round 6, Pick 86: Kale Dach, F

Round 6, Pick 92: Sam Peckham, D

Round 7, Pick 97: Jacob MacDonald, F

Round 7, Pick 101: Carter Casey, G

Round 9, Pick 130: Theodore Mallgrave, D