John Mustard’s dream has always been to play in the NHL. He grew up as a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs but admits he was influenced as a youngster by the successful playoff runs made by the Chicago Blackhawks led by Patrick Kane.
Mustard, who turns 18 on Aug. 16, took the next step of his NHL dream becoming reality when the Blackhawks selected the forward as their first pick of the third round — 67th overall — on day two of the NHL Draft.
“There was a lot of anxiety on the day of the draft, but when my name was called it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt relieved and happy at the moment,” said Mustard, who will play this coming year at Providence College. “It’s all I ever asked for and is a dream come true.”
Mustard comes to a Blackhawks organization that finished with only 23 wins this past season and has not qualified for the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, so he is thrilled to be part of the continued rebuild of the program.
