The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has acquired forward Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabers in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram.
Mittelstadt, 25, recorded 47 points (14g/33a) in 62 games for the Sabers this season, leading the club in both assists and points and tied for sixth in goals. Mittelstadt, who played in all 62 games for Buffalo, leaves the Sabers with career highs for tied goals (12) and average time on ice (18:16).
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward has played 339 NHL regular-season games with the Sabers from 2017-2024, recording 186 points (62g/124a). Last season, Mittelstadt set career highs in goals (15) and assists (44) while playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career. His 59 points marked a 40-point improvement over his 2021-22 production (6g/13a), as well as a 34-point improvement over his previous career-high 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 scored 25 points (9g/16a).
Originally from Edina, Minnesota, Mittelstadt played one season for the NCAA's Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2017-18 before signing his initial contract where he recorded 30 points (11g/19a) in 34 games to rank second on the team in scoring as a student of first year. He also competed for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL in 2016-17 before joining the Golden Gophers.
On the international stage, Mittelstadt played for Team USA at the 2018 World Junior Championships, where he led the team in scoring with 11 points (4g/7a) and captured a bronze medal. He was teammates with Avalanche prospect Riley Tufte.
Mittelstadt was selected by Buffalo in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Byram played in 146 regular season games with the Avalanche from 2020-2024 and recorded 63 points (23g/40a). He added 12 points (0g/12a) in 27 postseason games and was a member of the 2022 Stanley Cup Championship team with the Avalanche. He was selected by Colorado in the first round (fourth overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft.