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Vital Statistics: Born November 22, 1998; 6'0", 199 pounds.

Junior Team: Green Bay Gamblers, USHL; Eden Prairie, U.S. High School

2016-17 Stats: Green Bay: 24 GP, 13-17-30; Eden Prairie: 25 GP, 21-43-64

Pros: Ranked third by NHL's Central Scouting among North American skaters, Casey Mittelstadt is a highly touted American prospect who won Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award as the top high school player in the state in the 2016-17 season.

Central Scouting says Mittelstadt is "a strong, dynamic skater who has elite quickness both with and without the puck. Demonstrates high-end hockey sense in all areas of the ice—makes decisions with the puck at high speed—has an NHL shot."

"It's his flair for the offensive game, and he's one of those big-play players who can make a difference," Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Ben Kuzma of The Province. "He's really good on the power play and carrying the puck through the neutral zone. He sees all the players on the ice and has a good release on his shot, too."

Cons: It seems like there's one prospect every year who takes heat for underperforming in fitness testing at the draft combine. This year, that player was Mittelstadt, who failed to execute a single pull-up and managed just one rep on the bench press, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

"I try to work on being a hockey player—I don't try to work on my bench press or pull-ups," Mittelstadt told reporters at the combine, per Kuzma. "I want to be a hockey player, and that's all I train to do.

"I think it's good to be strong—and I think there are things I can get stronger at and work on—but I don't think being able to do a pull-up is going to make me be able to handle the puck better or be a better shooter."

Mittelstadt will get plenty of time in the weight room to work on his strength when he plays at the University of Minnesota next season.

"After two or three years of school, he'll be like a lot of college players who seem mentally and physically prepared by that time to take that jump to pro," Benning said.

Also of concern: Mittelstadt was an early cut from the 2017 U.S. World Junior roster during last summer's evaluation camp. It's no slam dunk for a draft-eligible prospect to make the World Junior team—especially on a roster as strong as the American squad that won gold in Montreal—but it's worth noting.