By Warren Kozireski —
Just two days after helping Team USA win the bronze medal at the IIHL Under-20 World Juniors in Buffalo and being named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, Buffalo Sabres 2017 first round draft selection Casey Mittelstadt was back at the University of Minnesota skating with the Golden Gophers in the second game of a home-and-home with nationally ranked St. Cloud State.
His line didn’t manage any points in the 2-0 win, but did account for eight of the team’s 21 shots on goal.
Mittelstadt tied among all players in the World Junior tournament with 11 points scoring four goals and was +8 plus/minus. But it wasn’t just the points—it was when he stepped to the front of the line and led a comeback for his team like the outdoor game against Team Canada where Team USA twice overcame two-goal deficits.
He had the primary assist on all three Team USA goals in their eventual 4-3 shootout victory.
“I played with Yamo (Kailer Yamamoto) a lot during this tournament, so we’ve had our chemistry and then (Brady) Tkachuk complements us as well. I like to have the puck on my stick and Chucky and Yamo like to go to the net.
“We all saw his stickhandling ability,” Team USA head coach Bob Motzko said about Mittelstadt after an early-round game. “He was doing the right things and that’s the best thing you can say. He was marching forward, there was some continuity with the line and there’s nothing like scoring a few goals to feel like you’re in the tournament.”
Mittelstadt took part in the Sabres prospect training camp this past summer after the draft and is happy with his progress since.
“There has been a lot more time for me to get in the weight room which is definitely important and a lot of little things on the ice like face-offs and playing defensively so I think I’ve definitely grown quite a bit and I’m going to keep working in the second half.
“I took a lot of time this summer working on my hands and my visual—things like that—so the biggest key for me. I think if I have to shoot I shoot, I think I take what’s there, but I may be a little more pass-first. I like to see my teammates score and celebrate with them after they score.
“I have high expectations for myself. Coming into a game I expect to play good and I expect to be one of the better players.”
The college regular season ends the last weekend of February and then conference playoffs. Minnesota entered the second week of January ranked ninth in the country and in the PairWise which would send them to the NCAA tournament. The latest their season could end is at the Frozen Four April 7.
That gives Buffalo fans a little under three months to debate whether the Sabres top prospect should be a one-and-done college player and begin his professional career right away or if some more seasoning at the Division I level is best for his development. Let the discussions begin.
