The Vegas Golden Knights may take a big chance in drafting Casey Mittelstadt if he continues to slip.
If you’re an expansion franchise like the Vegas Golden Knights, you have to be smart with the way you layout your draft strategy. That’s really important for Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee. You can’t afford to whiff in the first few rounds even if it’s a bad draft class.
But what if you see a player continue to fall on the draft board? What if that player you once highly coveted suddenly becomes available to you the next time your up? McPhee would certainly have to consider and think about it on the fly.
Casey Mittelstadt was once a highly rated draft eligible prospect, up there with the likes of Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier. However, he may have fallen behind the likes of Cody Glass, Michael Rasmussen, Owen Tippett and Gabriel Vilardi due to their rock solid play down the stretch. This has nothing to do with Mittelstadt’s play on the ice, but I just feel other players have passed him at this time.
Mittelstadt had a solid year for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL but nothing spectacular. He scored 13 Goals,17 Assists and 30 Points in 24 games played. However, back at his high school at Eden Prairie, he potted 21 Goals, 43 assists and 64 Points. The 18-year-old has committed to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017-2018.
This kid does seem like a special player considering how much production he’s shown from high school to the USHL. But what’s his style of play like? What makes Mittelstadt stand out from other Centers in this draft?
Well for one, he’s a thicker and more of a stocky type of player. The Edina Minnesota native is 6’1 and 201 lbs which is slightly undersized for the Center position. But size is totally being thrown out the window in today’s NHL which doesn’t seem to be a worry for Mittelstadt.
He’s not afraid to engage in puck battles and he wins a ton of them. He’ll crash the net, setup his teammates for easy tap-ins and he’s also really quick on his skates. Mittelstadt has an outstanding hockey I.Q and it shows in both the defensive and offensive zones.
One thing that Mittelstadt does that impresses me is he’ll never take a shift off. His engine seems like its going 100 mph all the time. Not to mention he creates scoring chances in the smallest windows of opportunities which is big for a player his age.
Mittelstadt’s high school team fell short of a state championship as the team came in third place. The senior had three points in three games during the Minnesota state championship tournament.
Next: Jake Oettinger Is The Goaltender To Target In The Entry Draft.
All in all, Mittelstadt is a very interesting player with huge upside but a low ceiling. Next year will be a telling year for the newest Golden Gopher. If McPhee decides to draft Mittelstadt, he better make sure he hits on this player because this franchise can’t afford a flop in round one. Casey Mittelstadt’s stats are impressive but remember, he’s playing against other players in high school. Pump the brakes on the Mittelstadt love.