Scott Bell spent the past five seasons as an amateur scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and during a visit to see Casey Mittelstadt in 2014, he knew right away what he was seeing.
“He stands out, he immediately stands out,” Bell said. “Some guys blend in — he doesn’t blend in, you can see him.”
Bell figures he has 30-some reports on Mittelstadt — who shined bright enough to be picked eighth overall by Buffalo in the 2017 NHL Draft — from watching him play over the years, but it took just that first viewing to confirm there was something special developing in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.