Blackhawks NCAA/USHL Prospect Update, 4/27: Boisvert goes pro; Nestrasil, Mustard finish strong

The NCAA season is over but the USHL\'s Clark Cup Playoffs continue along, with the one Blackhawks-related interest in that league on to the Western Conference Final. We\'ll check in there while also wrapping up the seasons for Chicago\'s college hockey prospects.

Forwards

Sacha Boisvert (C) | Boston (NCAA)

Stats: 17 points (3 G, 14 A), 28 PIM, 51 SOG in 26 NCAA games; 2 points (1 G, 1 A), 9 PIM, 6 SOG, 9:15 ATOI in 7 NHL games

We won\'t spend much time recapping Boisvert\'s season at Boston, given the well-documented controversies surrounding his final weeks of college hockey. Boisvert then left BU and joined the Hawks , where he skated in seven games -- largely in a fourth-line role -- and tallied his first professional goal:

BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOOOOOOOOOOOAL pic.twitter.com/UPHSwz3JUi

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 5, 2026

Boisvert will need to earn an NHL spot come training camp in the fall, as Chicago will probably have a few more forward prospects joining the team this summer and could also add a veteran or two during the offseason. It\'s going to make for a crowded competition in September, one that result in Boisvert starting the next hockey season in Rockford.

John Mustard (LW) | Providence (NCAA)

Stats: 29 points (17 G, 12 A), 46 PIM, 137 SOG in 36 games

Providence\'s season ended with a 5-2 loss to Quinnipiac on March 26 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Mustard scored the second goal in that game, making it 3-2 before a pair of empty-netters led to the final margin. Mustard led the Friars in several offensive categories this season, including goals (17), points (29), shots on goal (137), and power-play goals (4, tied).

Here\'s that aforementioned goal scored by the 2024 third-round pick against Quinnipiac, which came from a rather sharp angle:

MUSTTTAAARRRRRRDDDDDDDD 🚨🚨🚨

Friars cut the deficit to one! #NCAAHockey x 🎥 ESPN+ / @FriarsHockey pic.twitter.com/HyPhrDBGqB

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 26, 2026

And here\'s a Mustard PPG from earlier in the season, set up by the player we\'ll be discussing next:

Two Future Blackhawks teaming up on the goal

Julius Sumpf (Round 4 98th Overall in 2025) and John Mustard (Round 3 67th overall in 2024) #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/TbAJcMeZa6

— The Blackhawks Cowboy (@BHawkCowboy) February 21, 2026

A solid sophomore season led to some speculation that Mustard may have been on his way to Chicago last month. But he opted for another year of college, meaning that his NHL debut won\'t happen until next March at the earliest.

Blackhawks forward prospect John Mustard plans to return to Providence for his junior season. There was a chance he would turn pro after his college season ended. I imagine he's a candidate to sign late next season and play in some NHL games.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) April 8, 2026

It was a good season for Mustard overall, with the apparent next step forward for Mustard being a 2026-27 NCAA Season that sees Mustard establish himself as one of the top forwards in all of college hockey.

Julius Sumpf (C) | Providence (NCAA)

Stats: 21 points (4 G, 17 A), 8 PIM, 75 SOG in 36 games

Sumpf was excellent over the second half of the season for the Friars, ending it as the team\'s leader in assists. He took advantage of a midseason promotion up the lineup, ending the season as Providence\'s first-line right-winger:

Although it was a quality season from Sumpf overall, keep in mind that he\'s already 21 years old, so it\'ll likely take an incredible 2026-27 season for the 2025 fourth-round pick to make substantial moves up any rankings of Blackhawks prospects.

Vaclav Nestrasil (RW) | UMass (NCAA)

Stats: 31 points (13 G, 18 A), 8 PIM, 91 SOG in 34 games

Nestrasil ended his strong freshman season as the team leader in shots on goal (91) and power-play goals (6) while being second in goals (13), assists (18) and points (31). The UMass season ended in the semifinal around of the Hockey East tournament, while Nestrasil closed the season with the steady, consistent production that was yet another positive sign from last year\'s No. 25 overall pick. Nestrasil had a three-point night (2 G, 1 A) in the regular-season finale against Northeastern and also had a multi-point game (1 G, 1 A) against UConn on Feb. 27, part of his eight points (2 G, 6 A) in the final eight games of the season. That stretch came after he was briefly sidelined with an injury in early February, so the strong finish shows no apparent long-term effects from the injury.

Combine what Nestrasil did at UMass with his strong play in the World Juniors, and it all adds up to a very productive 2025-26 season that should have him featuring more prominently on Blackhawks radars going forward -- GM Kyle Davidson referenced him during the team\'s exit interviews a few weeks ago.

The player who led UMass in most categories was Jack Musa, and he\'s planning on returning to the team as a senior, which means Nestrasil will have some linemate continuity heading into next season. That could lead to even better things ahead for Nestrasil -- and UMass -- next season.

As of right now, UMass’ forward group will look a lot similar next year as it was this year.

So Musa will most likely play on the wing with Jack Galanek and #Blackhawks 1st rounder Vaclav Nestrasil.

That line will be a problem in Hockey East next season. https://t.co/0T9ffuuWLP

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) March 28, 2026

Nestrasil will be high on the list of prospects to watch in 2026-27, given that more steps forward as a sophomore could have him donning a Blackhawks sweater for the first time next spring.

Mason West (C/W) | Fargo Force (USHL)

Stats: 25 points (10 G, 15 A), 12 PIM, 84 SOG in 38 regular season games; 1 point (1 A), 15 SOG, 4 PIM in 4 postseason games

With a 3-2 win over the Sioux City Musketeers on Friday night, West and the rest of the Fargo Force are on to the Western Conference Final in the USHL\'s Clark Cup Playoffs. It\'s been a quieter postseason for West, who has tallied just one assist so far during his quartet of postseason games. West was fifth on the team during the regular season with a 0.66 points-per-game rate (25 in 38), joining the team late after completing his senior year of high school football at Edina.

Eight of his 25 points came via the power play (5 G, 3 A), such as this goal:

🚨MASON WEST PPG🚨 pic.twitter.com/LQN2BvtlM3

— Fargo Force (@FargoForce) April 4, 2026

This is lower on the list of important traits but here\'s West scoring a shootout winner anyway:

MASON WEST SHOOTOUT GAMEWINNER!!!! pic.twitter.com/tJx2EGnqGs

— Fargo Force (@FargoForce) April 5, 2026

The pregame lineup from Fargo\'s official Twitter account had West slotted in as the second-line center, which seems to be the main spot for him over the last few months, based on the other lineup cards posted online:

We\'ll catch up with West again once Fargo\'s postseason run ends. He\'s bound for Michigan State next season, where we\'ll likely get a better idea of how the No. 29 overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft is progressing.

Goalies

Adam Gajan (G) | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)

Stats: 19-13-1 record, .908 save percentage, 2.25 goals-against average in 33 NCAA games; 0-1-1 record, .923 save percentage, 3.01 goals-against average in 1 AHL game

Gajan was named the Most Improved Player at UMD following the 2025-26 season, indicative of the massive bounce-back performance he had as a sophomore following an injury-plagued freshman season. His signature outing may have been during the NCAA tournament on March 29, when Gajan held a Penn State offense led by possible No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna to just one goal on 30 shots,

ADAM GAJAN (G) IS AN ANIMAL! #UMD #NCAA @UMDMensHockey @PennStateMHKY pic.twitter.com/FbnwTTirei

— Devils Joint (@DevilsJointX) March 28, 2026

In the NCAA Regional Semi-Final (sweet 16) in Albany, after one period, Penn State and Minnesota-Duluth are tied 1-1. #blackhawks prospect Adam Gajan has been outstanding, turning aside 16 shots. pic.twitter.com/Xp6Px9rAjt

— Andy Campbell (@AndyCampbell16) March 28, 2026

After finishing with UMD, Gajan signed with the Hawks and made his pro debut with Rockford, stopping 36 of the 39 shots he faced while keeping the IceHogs competitive during a 4-2 loss on April 12.

Gajan looked quite sharp this afternoon, stopping 36 Wolves shots. He more than gave the IceHogs a chance to earn points🎥 pic.twitter.com/VubfDd1TZF

— Dana Grey (@DanaGrey0) April 12, 2026

Gajan\'s season isn\'t done, either. He was on Slovakia\'s Olympic roster in February but did not appear in a game. He\'s on that roster again for next month\'s World Championships, although so is Minnesota Wild prospect Samuel Hlavaj, who was Slovakia\'s No. 1 goalie during the Olympics.

Talking Points