Buffalo News: How Soon Can Mittelstadt Come to Buffalo and Stay?

Ignatius L Hoops

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http://buffalonews.com/2017/12/29/mike-harrington-how-soon-can-mittelstadt-come-to-buffalo-and-stay/

So when the World Junior Championship is over, do the Sabres even have to let Casey Mittelstadt go back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Heck, can they sign him up to head to New York for Monday's Winter Classic after he meets Finland here on Sunday?

Joking obviously. But he could help right now. And the SickMitts Kid should be playing for real in Buffalo come October. You could easily make the case he should be in Blue & Gold come March, as soon as his freshman season ends at the University of Minnesota.

Now, that's going to be a decision for Mittelstadt and his family and advisors. But Sabres General Manager Jason Botterill, who loves college players and college hockey in general, has to know the gold mine he's sitting on.

For a team as offensively challenged as the Sabres are these days, there has to be no better feeling knowing the best player in this tournament is one of theirs.

Mittelstadt is the MVP of this event over the first four days – and it's not even close...


...Some day, it's entirely possible the Sabres' turnaround can be pointed not to a tank but to the odd selections at the 2017 draft that saw teams let Mittelstadt somehow slip to No. 8 and allowed Botterill to pounce.

"He's an awesome player," said Tkachuk, who netted a tap-in off a Mittelstadt feed to tie the game. "Definitely when you're out there with him, he's making plays."

At 18, Mittelstadt sees the ice like elite NHL players. If you're open, you better expect the pass because it's coming.

"Even during the year, that's the first thing I go to if I feel I'm not playing well," he said. "I go back to stick-handling and my vision. That's the biggest key for me, to make sure that I'm always fine-tuning it.

Mittelstadt even had a chance Friday for his Sidney Crosby moment but let's not pile too much on the kid's shoulders.

 






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