The Blackhawks‘ prospect pool has never been larger.
Beneath the glimmer of Sam Rinzel, Anton Frondell and Nick Lardis, it’s inevitable that some players get overlooked — players who’d be notable if they resided in some of the league’s weaker pools.
Left winger John Mustard, one of the Hawks’ three third-round picks in 2024 and one of 16 forwards participating in the team’s development camp this week, falls in that category. Mustard is 6-1 and has elite NHL-caliber speed, but aside from his perfect-for-Chicago name, he has received limited fanfare from Hawks reporters and fans.
“We’ve made so many picks lately — and so many picks high in the first round — that some of these players don’t get the shine they deserve,” general manager Kyle Davidson said Tuesday. “John is one of those guys. He probably should get more love than he’s getting.
“For a freshman at his age, stepping from the USHL to the NCAA in a program like Providence, to put up the points he did, [it] was really impressive and exciting for us.”
In 37 games, Mustard had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), only four off the team lead for Providence.
And he easily could’ve had more. Mustard led the team with 108 shots on goal, but his shooting percentage was only 6.5%; the Friars’ other top five scorers were above 11%.
“He had a really good freshman year,” Providence coach Nate Leaman said. “He was adjusting to the bigger, stronger guys and less space. He did a good job with it. Usually, it takes the freshmen about a month to figure things out, and I thought he did that.
“The back half of his season, he was generating a lot of scoring chances. The next step in his game is learning to finish off some of those chances. But he’s dynamic, he can get on you fast and he has a really good shot release that’s deceptive and quick.”
Spin cycle 🔄 for Musty to put us up two! Adams take a hit to make a big play on the assist.https://t.co/Jg9mvDIl5Y x @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/IL6w7SIfOe
— PC Men’s Hockey (@FriarsHockey) February 1, 2025
His scoring-chance generation increased because he diversified his offense. During the fall, most of it came off the rush. During the winter and spring, he became more effective on the forecheck and cycling the offensive zone, in addition to taking on a larger power-play role. He improved at creating separation down low and penetrating the slot.
When Mustard and Leaman reviewed video after the season, they identified “three or four different areas where he got consistent chances” but realized he needed more specific plans for what to do in each area.
“He can get to those areas so quickly that he surprises himself sometimes,” Leaman said. “He can get right on top of goalies and then not be quite sure what his options are at that point, whether it’s [shooting] short-side high or five-hole or taking it to the far post.”
That’s similar to what Hawks forward prospect Oliver Moore dealt with at Minnesota. The Hawks’ emphasis on drafting elite skaters means they have to devote a lot of development resources in general toward teaching those speedsters how to finish.
It remains to be seen if Mustard will succeed in doing so, but he’s certainly trying.
“This summer, I’ve put an emphasis on scoring in tight,” Mustard said.
“I do a lot of three-on-three tournaments in the summer. Obviously, it’s not the most serious training. But scoring on the goalies, it gives you a lot of confidence. You learn a lot of things.”
Leaman also plans to use Mustard on the penalty kill next season, which will be a new responsibility for him and should help him improve defensively. He’s expected to be one of Providence’s top players.
“I want to take that next step into dominating the game,” Mustard said.
New teammate
Joining Mustard at Providence will be Julius Sumpf, the 20-year-old German forward whom the Hawks drafted in the fourth round (as an overager) last week.
Sumpf will be part of the first wave of players jumping from Canadian junior hockey to American college hockey, which just became allowed by the NCAA. He’s coming off a QMJHL championship run while playing alongside eventual No. 4 pick Caleb Desnoyers in Moncton, New Brunswick.
“When this rule opened up, colleges were clearly trying to get a feel for what major-junior guys are looking at college,” Leaman said. “He had some interest in college, and we were one of the first colleges to reach out and do a Zoom with him. … We stayed in touch with him and he recently decided that, ‘Yep, college is what I want to do.'”
Sumpf mostly played on the wing next to Desnoyers, but Leaman expects him to play center for Providence. He’s 6-2 and 190 pounds right now, but they’re hoping to get him up to around 197 to “bring out some heaviness in his game.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if Leaman and Mustard played quite a bit together, Leaman said.
More updates
Hawks forward prospect Jack Pridham, another 2024 third-round pick, has decommitted from Boston University and decided to return to OHL Kitchener this coming season. He played very well after joining Kitchener during this past season, and staying there also allows to sign an NHL entry-level contract at any time.
First-round pick Sacha Boisvert, transferring from North Dakota to BU this summer, said the firing of North Dakota coach Brad Berry — who had recruited him since age 14 — was the sole reason he left his original school. But in Boston, he will be closer to his family in Quebec.
