Casey Mittelstadt, Eden Prairie's star forward and the Gophers' prized recruit, is rated fifth among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of players eligible for the 2017 draft.
A dozen Minnesota high school standouts, several Gophers recruits, and two St. Cloud State freshmen were recognized in the rankings released Wednesday.
Mittelstadt is the top-rated player from Minnesota and outside of the Canadian Hockey League. St. Cloud State's Ryan Poehling is ranked No. 14 and Edina native Grant Mismash is No. 30.
Mittelstadt, the 6-1, 201-pound left-shooting forward, spent the fall playing in the USHL and scored eight goals, 13 assists in 16 games with the Green Bay Gamblers. He returned to Eden Prairie this winter for his senior season of high school hockey.
The Gophers wanted Mittelstadt to enroll early and begin his college career as a 17-year-old, but his desire to win a high school state championship fueled his decision to return to Eden Prairie. The Eagles lost last year's 2A state championship game to Wayzata.
Poehling, the 6-2, 183-pound left-shooting forward, has three goals and four assists through 21 games in his first season at St. Cloud State. Mismash, the 6-foot, 183-pound left-shooting forward, has 13 goals and 13 assists in 37 games with the U.S. U-18 National Developmental Team. The Shattuck St. Mary's alum is committed to North Dakota.
Hermantown's Dylan Samberg is Minnesota's second-highest rated prep standout on the list. The 6-3, 190-pound defenseman helped lead Hermantown to a Class 1A title last season with five goals, 13 assists. The Minnesota Duluth recruit has six goals and eight assists through 14 high school games this season.
Scott Reedy, the Gophers recruit and Shattuck-St. Mary's alum from Prior Lake, is ranked No. 47. The righthanded forward has 11 goals and 13 assists this season in 35 games with the U.S. U-18 team.
