It’s the time of the offseason when University of Minnesota hockey fans sit back and watch the pick of their future stars become the property of National Hockey teams.
The 55th NHL Entry Draft in Chicago jumped off Saturday with Casey Mittelstadt, 2017 Minnesota Mr. Hockey, picked eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres. He became the 20th Golden Gopher drafted in the first round since the league’s modern amateur draft began in 1963.
Mittelstadt captained Eden Prairie to the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament before skating in juniors with the Green Bay Gamblers. He’s the highest-drafted Gopher since 2006, when former Holy Angels star Erik Johnson was picked first overall by the St.