It won’t be long now before the Boston Bruins gather for Training Camp in preparation for the 2026-27 NHL Season, and they’ll be out to prove that they’re better than losing in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they did earlier this spring.
One of the key forwards for the Bruins is Casey Mittelstadt, who is entering his second full campaign in Boston after being acquired in 2025 from the Colorado Avalanche.
They’re going to be looking to him to create more offensive, and he feels he’ll be in a better position to do so in 2026-27.
Boston Bruins Forward Casey Mittelstadt Speaks About His First Campaign With The Club
Last season, Mittelstadt skated in 71 games and had 15 goals with 27 assists; he then added two assists in Boston’s loss to the divisional rival Buffalo Sabres (his original club) in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal.
The good news for Boston is that, in Mittelstadt’s recent words, he’s feeling much better and stronger coming into the upcoming season.
“I think personally for me, I felt like maybe I was a little slow last year. So I think getting stronger and getting faster. Trying to work on some skating stuff. For me, I think I am pretty good with the puck and handling it, but sometimes I lose my feet. That was my biggest focus,” Mittelstadt said via NHL.com. “A lot of jumping and obviously a lot of stuff on the ice as well.”
Mittelstadt, who is back with the majority of the rest of his teammates before the start of Training Camp, is happy to see everyone before the real grind begins.
“It’s fun, first and foremost, just to come and see the guys. It’s kind of weird; it feels like it’s been so long you haven’t seen them, and then you walk back into Warrior, and it feels like you were here yesterday,” Mittelstadt said. “We’ve got a good group back already, too, which I think helps. Just trying to stick with it, keep working out, keep skating.”
Casey Mittelstadt Is Entering His Second Full Season In Boston
Mittelstadt, whom the Sabres drafted in the first round (eighth overall pick) of the 2017 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut days later and scoring his first goal shortly afterward.
He spent the entire 2018-19 season in Buffalo but struggled offensively, finishing with 25 points in 77 games. After another slow start the following season, he was assigned to Rochester of the AHL. Mittelstadt eventually developed into an important two-way center for Buffalo, posting a career-best 47 points in 62 games during the 2023-24 season.
The Sabres traded him to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2024 for Bowen Byram. He recorded 10 points in 18 regular-season games and added nine points in 11 playoff appearances before signing a three-year, $17.25 million extension.
Later, Colorado traded Mittelstadt to the Bruins in March 2025 in a deal involving Charlie Coyle. He finished the 2024-25 season with 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points across 81 games between the two teams.
So far in his NHL career, he’s played in 509 games and has tallied 96 goals with 182 assists for 278 points, along with 118 penalty minutes. He’s also added three goals and eight assists in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Bruins’s Casey Mittelstadt Gets Honest About 1st Year In Boston