The Sabres’ top prospect
Montae Nicholson Jersey , center Casey Mittelstadt, is leaving Minnesota following his freshman season after agreeing to a three-year, entry-level
contract with Buffalo on Monday.
Mittelstadt is scheduled to join the Sabres on Tuesday, and general manger Jason Botterill said he expects the player to make his NHL debut Thursday, when
Buffalo hosts the Detroit Red Wings.
With Buffalo out of playoff contention, Botterill also told reporters before Buffalo’s game at Toronto on Monday that he hoped Mittlestadt would consider
representing the United States at the world hockey championships in Denmark in
May.
The agreement with the Sabres was reached a little over a week after Minnesota’s season ended by failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The
Golden Gophers are also undergoing a change after coach Don Lucia announced he
is stepping down following 19 seasons.
The 19-year-old Mittelstadt was selected by the Sabres with the No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft.
Mittelstadt had 11 goals and 19 assists in 34 games and was named to the Big Ten all-freshmen team this year.
He has already made a splash in Buffalo after creating several highlight-reel plays in representing the bronze-medal-winning United States team at the World
Junior hockey championship, which was held in the city three months ago.
From Eden Prairie
Walter Payton Jersey , Minnesota, Mittelstadt was named the 10-nation tournament’s MVP after finishing tied for first in scoring with 11 points (four
goals, seven assists).
Botterill was impressed by how Mittelstadt excelled at the world juniors.
”With it being here in Buffalo, there was that added pressure,” Botterill told The Associated Press in January. ”And I think you saw a player who instead
of succumbing to the pressure, actually thriving in that type of
environment.”
Mittelstadt’s most memorable goal came in a in a 3-2 preliminary-round loss to Slovakia.
With the U.S. trailing 2-1, Mittelstadt stripped the puck from Marian Studenic at the Slovakia blue line and circled back into the zone. Mittelstadt
kicked the puck between his legs to avoid a check by defender Michal Ivan and
didn’t break stride in cutting across the top of the crease and avoiding goalie
Roman Durny. He swept a shot into the open left side with 3:11 remaining.
Mittelstadt joins a Sabres team that has already extended its franchise-worst playoff drought to seven years
Rigoberto Sanchez Jersey , and in jeopardy of finishing last in the overall standings for the third time in five seasons.
The Sabres have six games left after playing Toronto, and they are not allowed to demote Mittelstadt to the minors this spring.
Mittelstadt will use up the first year of his contract this season. However, he would not be eligible to be exposed for selection in an expansion draft in
2020, should the NHL approve Seattle’s bid to join the league for the 2020-21
season.
Mittelstadt’s addition comes a day after defenseman Will Borgen elected to skip his senior season at St. Cloud State to sign a three-year contract with the
Sabres.
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More NHL hockey: The first women’s World Cup speed races in 2018 were doubtful on Friday as the snow on parts of the course was still too weak after
heavy rain this week and mild temperatures.
The lower section of the Karnten-Franz Klammer course was not hard enough to stage the mandatory training for a downhill.
”It’s a difficult situation right now with the way the snow is and how they prepared the course,” Lindsey Vonn told The Associated Press. ”I am not sure if
we are going to be able to get a race off, but they are definitely trying as
hard as they can.”
The American standout added ”the top is good but the bottom is not safe to race.”
Organizers swapped the program for this weekend by pushing back the downhill to Sunday and rescheduling a super-G for Saturday.
The first downhill training on Thursday was cancelled and a race can be staged only after competitors have at least one training run on the entire
course.
Only a shortened run of less than 40 seconds was held on Friday on the upper hill, which included the steep Klammer Stich with a 73-percent grade. Training
on the rest of the course was planned for Saturday after the super-G.
”Of course we all want to race but the conditions have to be good
http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/kevin-king-jersey ,” Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein said. ”I hope there will be a clear decision
tomorrow morning, not postponing and waiting.”
As the skiers’ representatives this weekend, Vonn and Weirather will be talking to the race jury on Saturday when decisions are made.
”We have a strong voice,” said Vonn, adding the races should not be staged at all costs with the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang only a month away.
The last time Bad Kleinkirchheim hosted the World Cup, in 2015, both races were cancelled because of heavy winds.
Austria’s Christina Ager posted the fastest time in the short training session
Leonard Floyd Jersey , followed by Sofia Goggia of Italy and Weirather.
Vonn, who failed to reach a podium in five previous races here, was 22nd.
American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, who leads the season’s downhill standings after two events, is sitting out this weekend’s races to rest.
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