Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 NHL Draft Preview: No. 5 Casey Mittelstadt
By Austin Owens
As the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL prepare for the draft, we look at Casey Mittelstadt, who had one of the most interesting seasons of anyone this year.
The 2016 draft had several headlining players that controlled the main portion of the coverage in North America. This was particularly true north of the border, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and every other Canadian team failed to reach the playoffs.
This summer will be a different story. Further, there has been a lot of movement in the draft rankings over the course of the season.
On Tuesday, we profiled Miro Heiskanen. Today, we cover centre Casey Mittelstadt, who is the fifth-ranked prospect on our board.
Mittelstadt is an intriguing prospect. He decided not to go to the CHL, electing for the USHL instead. He was taken by the Green Bay Gamblers in the fifth round of the 2014 USHL Futures Draft
He previously split time between the U.S. Under-18 program, and his high school team in Eden Prarie, Minnesota.
This season Mittelstadt started off with the Gamblers, scoring 21 points in 16 games, before returning to Eden Prarie High mid-campaign. He dominated in Minnesota Class 2A, scoring 64 points in 21 games, with a ridiculous 58.3 shooting percentage.
Here’s what Future Considerations had to say about Mittelstadt:
"A smart, quick and highly skilled center…has a tremendous first-step jump, change of pace and ability to make defenders miss…though not the biggest or strongest player on the ice, he finds success in loose puck battles by using his smarts and insane ability to shield the puck from defenders…never takes a shift off, and has added noticeable muscle and speed this season…will finish chances with a quick release on a wrister or powerful snap shot…puckhandling skills are excellent and he is able to create scoring chances in almost all of his offensive-zone shifts using his great vision and understanding of the game"
After Eden Prarie High were eliminated from playoffs, Mittelstadt went back to finish off the season with Green Bay. The team missed the playoffs, but the centre had nine points in his final eight games.
Mittelstadt has already committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2017-18 season. So he will continue his development with one of the best hockey programs in the NCAA.
Next: Leafs must target defencemen in the draft
What’s your take on Mittelstadt? Do you agree with the current projection that he will be drafted fifth overall, or is this too high? Further, what kind of career are you predicting for him in the NHL? Share your thoughts in the comments section.