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2017 NHL Draft Profiles – – Casey Mittelstadt, Luke Martin and Keith Petruzzelli

Casey Mittelstadt may be the player with the highest upside in the Top 10. We know what Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier can do. They have upside but a lot of what you can see is very measurable.

The talented center hasn’t played a lot of games so there is a bit more guesswork involved. I’ve seen him live a handful of times and each time I’ve felt he’s a pretty dynamic player. This past season the University of Minnesota commit only played 49 games. I think he’ll do well at the combine (he’s already 6-1, 201) and that should help keep the naysayers at arm’s length. Here’s what he thinks about his game.

“I’m always trying to get stronger and faster. I work a lot on my vision and my shot. Working on my shot definitely makes me more of a threat from everywhere. I train back in Minnesota with Jack. A lot of light jumping and running. I feel like I’ve gotten better since I started training with him.”

Luke Martin is a very talented defenseman who played a full season at Michigan University. He went under the radar but he did play in all 35 games. He only had seven points but that’s something that can build in the future. Possibly the same way Brady Skjei kept working on that part of his game.

He’s played on the U17 and U18 teams so he’s used to playing with some top-end talent. At 6-2, 201 this defenseman already has a pro body. He led all NCAA rookie defenseman in blocked shots this season (76) and Red Berenson had a lot of confidence in him.

“I think I’m evolving offensively and my skating and hopefully you’ll see a quicker version of me. I think I can continue to add offense.”

Keith Petruzzelli is a 6-6 goaltender who is getting no love pre-draft. He is a Quinnipiac commit with a lot of potential. This season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL he posted a .918 save percentage in 35 games.

This Massachusetts native hasn’t had a ton of viewings. At 190 pounds, he will certainly fill out a bit more but he has some good speed post to post and his positioning is solid.

“Quinnipiac is a great place, great organization. Head coach, Rand Pecknold is a great coach and a great guy. Same with the assistant coaches. Gorgeous facilities and great campus. They reached out to us first so that always means a lot. Knowing that you’re wanted.

“I just try to stop pucks and focus on my game (he really keeps it simple). Playing in the Fall Classic was a good bonding event. There weren’t many fans but there were a lot of scouts there.”

See where I currently have these players ranked here:

2017 NHL Draft My Top 45 Rankings Version 1.0

Russ_Cohen
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