Yeah, that one was completely
worthy. Sometimes having confidence in one's ability to skate and stick-handle had to be mitigated by knowing there is no one between you and your net.... the tomfoolery is about 36 seconds in to that vid.
Confirmed with Link: Casey Mittelstadt (2017, 8th) - Signed, #37
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Yeah, that one was completely
worthy. Sometimes having confidence in one's ability to skate and stick-handle had to be mitigated by knowing there is no one between you and your net.... the tomfoolery is about 36 seconds in to that vid.
You could either "be concerned" or understand that despite the excitement of some fans, Casey is simply more in the Tyson Jost tier than Boeser/Keller/Connor, as far as post-draft-seasons go.
Yes and no. Poehling is on a team that averages more than a goal per game more than Mittelstadt's Gophers do. Part of it is a function of the talent on the Gophers... and part of that is due to how Mittelstadt himself is performing. It's fine to be cautiously optimistic about Casey, but he is not without room for growth/consistency.
joshjull
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Or we could not worry about anything, even "tiers", and let a kid with a lot of raw potential develop.
But it would also help to give context to these players draft +1 years. Its something I've been digging into trying to do a better job myself when comparing these guys.
As an example, Boeser in his draft +1 season played on a powerhouse North Dakota team that went 32-6-4 and won the national championship. He had teammates like Schmaltz and Caggiula and he was a production machine. Then the following season North Dakota was much weaker without many of the key pieces (like Schmaltz/Caggiula) and went 21-16-3. Boeser's numbers came down to ... . ironically .... right at Jost's level in his draft +1 season.
The production of these guys is usually impacted by the level of the teams they play on. Mittelstadt's Gophers are no where near the level of the North Dakota team Boeser played on in his post draft season. I'm not even sure you could say they are on the level of the North Dakota team Boeser and Jost played on the following season but its close.
Casey is still fairly raw and needs work on his game. It was a decent jump from a half USHL/half high school season to the Gophers. He has much more work to do to be sure. But I wouldn't get too concerned because of how his draft+1 season compares to others.
joshjull
Registered User
Yep. The cautious optimism stems from seeing what he did with better talent at the World Juniors. Getting back to Minny, where its harder for him to make things happen, is where his game is going to grow. Now the next question is ...... what to do for next season?
I remain torn on that -- wanting him to grow and dominate nightly against NCAA competition or turn pro and have to deal with even bigger, more savvy vets. His in-zone offensive game is still a lot of him trying to break people down with his stickhandling but it seems like most of his production is off the rush where it is less about breaking someone down and more about moving the puck quickly and accurately.
I have liked his defensive game more in recent games. He continues to contest pucks, but he comes deeper now to win those battles. That's a nice area of growth.
This plus what chainshot said.
This is what some of us tried to explain when posters at the wjc were saying that mittlestadt has Eichel potential. He doesn’t, and is still a typical high end guy, potentially on a connors or boeser path. He is reliant on his teammates, like most players, to hit big on production, especially as a true freshman.
Eichel, as an early entrant to ncaa, was independent from his team for production. I never saw kariya in college so perhaps he was similarly dominant, but I have never seen a college player, let alone a freshman, let alone an underage freshman look like he did.
Perhaps Ethan Edwards can correct me, but Eichel joins a very average if not weak BU team from the previous year. He brings a really good draft class with him, but the upperclassmen on the team are not very talented by elite ncaa team standards. And then he dominated, immediately. While still clearly learning and not playing the kind of defense or with the kind of pace you expect out of a veteran. And he started the season as a 17 year old.
Just a freak and the reason conservative posters like myself could see real comparisons to a Malkin or Federov.
Mittlestadt will do just fine. I think a jump to the ahl next year would be best to avoid bad habits and get used to talented teammates and use them accordingly.
dotcommunism
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Just going to note that if Mittelstadt signs an ELC this summer, he won't be eligible to have his contract slide.
Rasmus CacOlainen
The end of the Tank
dotcommunism
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Players who sign as 19 year olds aren't eligible for the ELC slide if they turn 20 before December 31 of that year.
I'll admit I hated the Mittelstadt pick. That being said....seeing him at training camp, WJC, and highlight videos has warmed me up to him. That being said, I think he probably needs another year of professional training and another year in NCAA. He's having a great freshman year but he's not dominating like you'd want a guy to be before coming out.
Unless he shows up to camp and is simply too good to send back....keep him in the NCAA for another year. Let's see him dominate D-1.
Unless he shows up to camp and is simply too good to send back....keep him in the NCAA for another year. Let's see him dominate D-1.
Gabrielor
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