DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed a forward to a contract. Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year contract through the 2026-27 season.
Mittelstadt, 25, was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabers on March 6, 2024 and played in 18 regular season games with the Avalanche, posting 10 points (4g/6a) with the club. He finished among the Avalanache leaders in goals (T-6th), assists (7th) and points (8th) since its debut on March 8. In 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Mittelstadt recorded nine points (3g/6a), good for Colorado’s sixth-highest total. His nine playoff points came in a tie, tying him with Mikko Rantanen for the team lead in that category. The center posted a three-game point streak between Games 3-5 of the first round, starting with a three-assist night in Game 3. The 2024 playoffs marked his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mittelstadt was drafted by Buffalo in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward scored 57 points (18g/39a) in 80 games between Colorado and Buffalo in 2023-24, a goal line that finished two points shy of his career high in career from 2022-23. . At the time of the trade, Mittelstadt led the Sabers in points (47) and assists (33) in 62 games. Mittelstadt’s 18 goals total marked a career high in a single season; He scored his first goal in his second game with Colorado on March 12 in Calgary. In his first month with the Avalanche, Mittelstadt recorded a streak of five consecutive games with at least one record (2g/3a), from March 12-22. He lit the lamp in back-to-back games from March 28-30.
“Casey has been a great fit for our lineup and has been a huge contributor to our team throughout the stretch and in the playoffs,” said Chris MacFarland, general manager of the Avalanches. “His game has improved every season and he took another big step forward last year. We believe he has an even higher level to reach and it was important to sign him for several years. Casey is an exciting playmaking center with good vision and hands and, at just 25 years old, he will play an important role in our team’s future.
Mittelstadt enters the 2024-25 season with 357 NHL regular season games with the Avalanche and Sabers from 2017-2024, recording 196 points (66g/130a). In 2022-23, Mittelstadt set a career high in assists (44) and points (59) while playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career. He was the only Buffalo skater to appear in all of his team’s games. The 59 points mark a 40-point improvement over his production from 2021-22 (6g/13a) as well as a 34-point improvement over his previous career high of 25 points (12g/13a) from 2018- 19.
During his time in the Sabers organization, Mittelstadt also played 36 games for Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, in 2019-20, where he recorded 25 points (9g/16a).
A native of Edina, Minnesota, Mittelstadt played one season for the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017-18 before signing his entry-level contract in which he recorded 30 points (11g/19a) in 34 games for ranking second on the team in scoring. a freshman. This performance earned him recognition on the All-Big Ten Rookie Team. Mittelstadt also competed for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in 2016-17 before joining the Golden Gophers.
On the international stage, Mittelstadt played for Team USA at the 2018 World Junior Championship where he led the team with 11 points (4g/7a) and won a bronze medal. He was named tournament MVP.
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