Black Hawks defenseman Jimmy Rieber selected by Ducks in NHL draft

Anaheim made Jimmy Rieber the last of its nine picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, taking the Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman 210th overall in Buffalo, New York. For a player who was trying to win a roster spot last September, the selection marked a sharp turn from uncertainty to draft-night payoff.

Rieber’s rise was built on steady ice time and a role he earned fast. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound right-shot defenseman played 60 USHL games for Waterloo in 2025-26, finishing with 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points and 28 penalty minutes. Anaheim listed him as having appeared in all but two of Waterloo’s games, and the Black Hawks described him as one of the team’s most reliable shutdown defensemen.

His first USHL goal came in one of Waterloo’s more memorable swings of the season. On Halloween, the Black Hawks trailed Green Bay 2-0 before rallying for a 4-3 overtime comeback, and Rieber’s first league goal helped set that turnaround in motion. That was the kind of night that changed the way he was viewed: less as a depth defenseman trying to stick, more as a player who could handle pressure and contribute when the game tightened.

The league noticed. Rieber was on Waterloo’s initial NHL Central Scouting watch list in October, then climbed to 121st among North American skaters on the midseason list. In January, he skated in USA Hockey’s All-American Game in Plymouth, Michigan, a stage reserved for the top draft-eligible talent and a clear sign that his season had forced him into the conversation. Waterloo’s broader draft picture reflected the same pipeline, with the United States Hockey League producing 43 selections in the 2026 NHL Draft and the NHL crediting the league with 32 direct picks.

Rieber’s path also fits Anaheim’s own history with Waterloo. The Black Hawks listed Justin Kloos, Brandon Montour and J.T. Brown among their alumni who played for the Ducks, and Rieber now joins that line. He is expected back in Waterloo for 2026-27 before heading to Miami University for 2027-28, giving the Black Hawks another season with a player who turned a roster battle into an NHL draft call.