Wyttenbach Continues Working Towards His Goals In Impressive Rookie Season

Sioux Falls forward Ethan Wyttenbach is off to a terrific start as he targets the Clark Cup and USHL ROY award

Ethan Wyttenbach had two goals coming into the 2024-25 season… Win a Clark Cup and be the USHL’s best rookie.

If the season ended in early January, Wyttenbach’s Rookie of the Year chances would be as good as anybody, as the Quinnipiac commit has 11 goals and 29 points through 29 games – both of which lead USHL rookies. And while winning a Clark Cup is no easy task, Sioux Falls currently sits atop the Western Conference and looks poised to make a deep playoff run.

However, Wyttenbach is far from satisfied, and he plans to continue working towards both goals over the next four months.

“Coming into the season you have a lot of expectations for yourself and your team, and it’s been a ton of fun so far,” Wyttenbach told The Hockey News. “We’ve got a really good group of guys and everybody has been bought in from the start. I think going 2-0 in Pittsburgh was huge for our team and we’ve just really built on it from there.

“Personally I think I’ve been able to fit in really well too and the way I started was really good for me and my confidence, and everybody here wants you to do well. It’s a really fun environment and we have the best fans and support in the league too. So I think we’ve just been able to build on everything and it’s been a great junior hockey experience so far.”

Wyttenbach currently ranks sixth in the USHL with those 29 points and finished 2023 riding a seven-game point streak. He’s notched points in 22 of his 29 games this season and had points in 13 of his first 15, and Wyttenbach continues to impress as one of the USHL’s top rookies.

The New York native is doing it while living away from home for the first time, and although it was an adjustment initially, Wyttenbach feels comfortable in Sioux Falls.

He feels he’s done a good job adjusting to the speed and physicality of the USHL too and said it took about 10 games to hit his stride – which has especially shown over the past month.

“Obviously as a young kid you grow up wanting to play in the NHL, but you realize it’s not a direct path and you have to take steps to get there,” he said. “I think as you get older and you get drafted in the USHL, commit to a (Division I) school, get invited to (the All-American Game) and some of those things, you realize that dream is more of a possibility. So it makes you want it that much more. But the biggest thing is to make sure you’re getting better every day and you can’t stop now.

“I was fortunate to get drafted into the USHL (by Chicago) and now I’m here in Sioux Falls for a reason, but it’s a great league and has really helped my development. I think I’ve shown I can play in this league and I’m really taking advantage of the opportunity here.”

Taking advantage indeed.

“Ethan’s skillset stood out from day one and as an organization, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to acquire him,” said head coach Ryan Cruthers, who is also from the Long Island area and had previous familiarity with Wyttenbach. “He had a really good camp and then he put in the time and effort into his body and game over the summer, and he showed up for training camp looking like a different player. And he’s obviously had a great start to the season.

“I think the biggest thing with Ethan has been his confidence, and he’s a confident kid because of the skill he possesses. But he works extremely hard and he’s competitive, and he’s truly the first kid at the rink and the last one to leave. We’ve given him opportunities to grow as a player and play his game, and he’s earned and taken advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten.”

Wyttenbach credits the Stampede staff for much of his success and while he was excited to be traded to Sioux Falls from Chicago last spring, he didn’t know what to expect heading into his rookie campaign.

However, he’s been put in a “great position to succeed” and adjusted to the USHL game quicker than most expected, and his confidence has only continued to grow.

Being on a winning team has certainly helped too. Sioux Falls has won five straight and is 9-1-0 over its past 10, and the Stampede own both the USHL’s top win percentage (.759) and goal differential at plus-32 (111-79).

Players like Wyttenbach are a big reason why.

“He’s obviously producing offensively for us, but he’s really turned into a well-rounded player,” Cruthers said. “We’ve been very good defensively and Ethan’s a guy that’s probably not known for his defensive play, but he’s turning his defense into offense and buying into what we’re trying to do. There’s been a lot of that on our team all season, but I think we’ve seen a ton of growth from Ethan and he’s been a big contributor for us.”

Wyttenbach tries to approach every day with an 'attack-first mindset' and wants to do whatever he can to help the Stampede win, and it’s worked up to this point.

Now he wants to do more of the same in the second half, and if so, Wyttenbach’s goals might not be too lofty after all.

“My number one goal is to win the Clark Cup and I think we've got a group that can do it,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t even know if we’ve played our best hockey yet and we still want to play more consistently, but we’ve found a way to win and we’re continuing to get better. We’re super deep and every line can score, and I think we know how good we can be when we’re playing our best. So that’s really exciting heading into the second half.

“Then individually, I’ve wanted to win Rookie of the Year since the start of the year. I think I’ve put myself in a spot where it’s definitely a possibility, but I know I need to continue working towards it throughout the second half. So I’m excited to keep working and be myself out there, and just play the way I know I can.”