Waterloo forward John Mustard finished with 29 goals and 56 points in his rookie campaign and became the first Black Hawks skater to be named USHL Rookie of the Year since 2012.
Waterloo forward John Mustard finished with 29 goals and 56 points in his rookie campaign and became the first Black Hawks skater to be named USHL Rookie of the Year since 2012.
Waterloo Black Hawks forward John Mustard has been named the USHL Rookie of the Year for the 2023–24 season. The 17-year-old was nothing short of sensational since exploding onto the scene.
The Providence commit led all USHL rookie skaters in goals (29), game-winning goals (seven), power-play goals (seven), and shots on goal (205) while finishing second in points (56) and power-play assists (nine).
"The whole Black Hawks organization would like to congratulate John; it is exciting to be part of a year where a player has so much success," said Black Hawks General Manager Bryn Chyzyk. "He was electric for our fans to watch, and we all look forward to seeing John selected during the NHL Draft this summer."
Mustard got off to a quick start in his rookie campaign, collecting points in seven of his first ten games and finishing with 15 goals and 30 points in 27 games in the first half of the season. He earned a well-deserved invitation to the Chipotle All-American Game, where he netted the overtime-winner.
Overall, the Waterloo forward finished with four multi-goal games, including a hat trick against Cedar Rapids and a four-goal performance against Sioux City, in which he collected USHL Forward of the Week honors for both. Added, Mustard had 16 multi-point efforts throughout the 2023-24 season.
As a result of his production, Mustard's draft stock saw a meteoric rise for the 2024 NHL Draft. Initially projected to be a late-round pick in Central Scouting's preliminary list in October, the young forward was the No. 27-ranked North American skater in the final rankings, potentially setting him up to be a first-round selection in next month's draft.
Mustard becomes the third Waterloo Black Hawks skater to be named USHL Rookie of the Year, joining Taylor Cammarata (2012) and Joe Pavelski (2003).
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