Mittelstadt’s son is due in mid-April – “playoff baby,” the forward said with a smile.
“It’s good. Maybe a little more stressful for my fiancée than for me right now. We’re very excited,” he continued. “It is obviously crazy, I feel like, especially during the season, her being pregnant the whole year has kind of made it go faster, and all of a sudden it’s here. Very excited. Ready to welcome a little boy into our family.”
Morgan Geekie and his wife, Emma, welcomed their son, Max, in January. Geekie is another Bruins dad who has helped push the team into spring hockey. The 27-year-old leads Boston with 38 goals, including 12 on the power play, which is a team-high. Not every night is perfect for Geekie and the B’s, and they’re okay with that.
“I think we’re a pretty mature group and throughout the year we faced a little bit of adversity – especially at the start of the year, losing games. Just being able to forget, take the positives, no matter how few there are. Kind of just carry that over,” he said. “We’re a scrappy bunch and just find different ways to win.”
Part of that adversity was losing Charlie McAvoy for 11 games after he suffered a broken jaw and underwent surgery in November. The alternate captain returned sooner than anyone expected and got right back into the fight. Amidst a grueling rehab that still affects the defenseman to this day, McAvoy has put together a 60-point season. He is the first Bruins blueliner since Ray Bourque in 1995-96 to hit the mark.
McAvoy was nominated for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday. It is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
“We’ve gone through some stuff on and off the ice this year. We just keep kicking, show up every day, and just be thankful for everything that I have and the blessings in me and my family’s life,” McAvoy said. “Really grateful for my family and the guys, the staff, coaches, trainers and the guys that really helped me through this season.”
McAvoy is a competitor. Nothing was keeping him out of the fight with his teammates.
“This is why you play. You go through an 82-game grind just for a chance to fight for the ultimate prize. Making the playoffs is everything,” he said. “It is the goal for all 32 teams. And we’ve positioned ourselves, through a lot of hard work, to be one of those teams that gets a chance. We know it’s all right there, and we just have to see it through.”
The 28-year-old is no longer the wide-eyed rookie making his NHL debut in the postseason, while it might seem like just yesterday. McAvoy is now a battle-tested veteran in the Boston locker room, acting as a mentor for the new class of youngsters on this year’s roster.
Age, though, has not hindered impact for this team. Just ask guys like Fraser Minten (21) and Marat Khusnutdinov (23). The two forwards have skated with David Pastrnak for chunks of the season and formed into difference-makers. Pastrnak has leaned into his teaching role, all while logging his regular dominant numbers; he is one point away from a fourth-consecutive 100-point season. Pastrnak also has a career-high 70 assists this year.