It’s been one whirlwind of a year for the Bruins’ Casey Mittelstadt.
Dumped on Boston by the Avalanche, and going through some early growing pains under Marco Sturm, it was fair to wonder what exactly the endgame between the B’s and Mittelstadt was going to be. But Mittelstadt has since found his home with the club on their upstar second line, with his latest effort enough to earn him our nod as The Peterson School’s Hardest Working Player of the Week.
On the ice for four games this week, Mittelstadt put together a week that featured one goal and four points, with his goal in Buffalo coming as the comeback goal the Bruins needed to set the stage for what was ultimately an overtime win.
The goal went beyond just helping the Bruins get a key two points against Buffalo. It was also a direct response to what was a disastrous showing against the woeful Maple Leafs the night before. These responses matter, and to see it come from a player who’s at times fallen into slumps that hinder his confidence, was big.
“A huge bounce-back win against a really good team,” Mittelstadt, originally a top-10 pick by Buffalo, said of the Bruins’ win over the Sabres. “Obviously, they’re playing really well. We had to play hard and fight hard for it. But we got it done.”
The future is uncertain for a player like Mittelstadt. Especially when you realize that the Bruins are playing him out of his natural position and have more young talent coming through their pipeline. But right now, there’s no doubt that Mittelstadt has bought in to what the Bruins are selling, and that they’re a better team for it.
The Hardest Working Player of the Week is sponsored by The Peterson School. The Peterson School is now enrolling for their spring semester in Woburn, Westwood, Worcester, and Haverhill. To learn more, visit petersonschool.com.