Casey Mittelstadt (born November 22, 1998) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

center for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). He was selected in the first round, eighth overall, by the Sabres in the

2017 NHL Entry Draft The 2017 NHL Entry Draft was the 55th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 23–24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first three selections were Nico Hischier going to the New Jersey Devils, Nolan Patrick going to the ...

. Mittelstadt was born in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota. Edina began as a small farming and mil ...

, but grew up in

Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...

Playing career

Amateur

Mittelstadt attended

Eden Prairie High School Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) (formerly Eden Prairie Senior High School) is a four-year public high school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States established in 1923. The present high school opened in 1981 and was significantly added to in ...

and was chosen as ALL-USA Boys Hockey Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017. He was named Mr. Hockey, the best high school senior hockey player in Minnesota, in 2017. He was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, by the

in the

. Mittelstadt having committed to a collegiate career, played as a freshman forward on the 2017–18

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...

team. After ranking second on the team, and seventh among all NCAA freshmen, with 30 points Mittelstadt was selected for the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He was also selected as a finalist for Freshman of the Year, along with

Quinn Hughes Quintin Hughes (born October 14, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hughes was drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Ent ...

and Mitchell Lewandowski, with the award eventually going to Lewandowski. 2017 NHL Entry Draft (35346015512)

Professional

On March 26, 2018, Mittelstadt opted to conclude his collegiate career and was signed to a three-year entry-level contract by the Buffalo Sabres. He made his NHL debut on March 29 in a game against the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, recording an assist. He recorded his first career NHL goal on April 6, 2018, in a 7–5 loss to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. Rather than assign him to the AHL, Buffalo management opted to have Mittelstadt play the entire 2018–19 season with the team. He struggled throughout the year, recording just 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 77 games. After struggling again to start the 2019–20 season, Mittelstadt was assigned to the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

, the Sabres'

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) affiliate, on December 15. On December 23, 2020, Mittelstadt signed a one-year contract with the Sabres. On September 2, 2021, Mittlestadt signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with the Sabres.

International

Mittelstadt participated on Team USA in the

2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 42nd edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, and was hosted by the city of Buffalo, New York at the KeyBank Center and HarborCenter. It opened on December 26, 2017 and closed with ...

. He helped lead the United States team to win bronze with a tournament high 11 points, and was selected as the tournament's Best Forward. A fan favorite, Mittelstadt was named to the tournament all-star team, and received the title of Tournament MVP by media.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mittelstadt, Casey 1998 births Living people Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Green Bay Gamblers players Ice hockey players from Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota Rochester Americans players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Sportspeople from Edina, Minnesota American men's ice hockey centers