Latest news with #Mittelstadt
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' priority in offseason rebuild: Speed at all positions
Heading into Thursday, Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju, Jakub Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov had combined for 1,023 career NHL games. Brad Marchand has them beat on his own with 1,090. Add Charlie Coyle (937), Brandon Carlo (623), Trent Frederic (337) and Justin Brazeau (83), and it's clear the Boston Bruins are a far less experienced team now than before the trade deadline. Case in point: Jokiharju's next playoff appearance will be his first. It appears the former Buffalo Sabre will keep his streak alive. Advertisement The Bruins also said goodbye to size, strength, below-the-dots presence and strength on the puck. But Mittelstadt, Jokiharju, Lauko and Khusnutdinov are unquestionably faster and quicker than the players they replaced. Mittelstadt, in particular, is perhaps the most necessary upgrade — skill, tempo and creativity in the middle at the expense of Coyle's three-zone dependability. More speed is needed. Management entered 2024-25 with beef as a priority. They figured the Bruins would be a handful because of how they would forecheck, possess pucks, wear out opposing attackers and keep the ice clear in front of Jeremy Swayman. In retrospect, the Bruins' struggles highlighted the bosses' misjudgment: Their players could not get to pucks and places quickly enough. It remains a problem. Entering Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Bruins had been outshot three straight times. This included the Tampa Bay Lightning's 20-0 shot advantage in the second period of the Bruins' 6-2 loss on March 15. The Bruins have occupied the defensive zone too often. They have paid the price on the scoreboard. 'We're just defending too much,' said David Pastrnak following the Bruins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on March 17. 'The second period against Tampa, that was unacceptable. Not as bad, but (something) similar happened this second period. We were defending a lot against a very highly offensively skilled team. It's always tiring to defend. We have to play more on offense in the O-zone to create more opportunities.' As of Thursday, opponents average 59.46 attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play against the Bruins, according to Natural Stat Trick. That is the 12th-worst in the NHL. In comparison, the Carolina Hurricanes allow a league-low 49.32 CA/60. Of late, the Bruins have struggled to arrive on time in the defensive zone in multiple areas: on the puck, in wall battles and in support. Advertisement 'We can be a little bit quicker getting there,' interim coach Joe Sacco said. 'Doing a better job at times supporting, whether it's a defenseman holding the wall, defensemen below the goal line.' Spending less time in the defensive zone isn't just on the defensemen. Mason Lohrei, for example, can be trusted to retrieve pucks. But if a wing like Cole Koepke can't arrive on time on the wall to be an outlet for Lohrei, it's too easy for opposing forechecks to swamp the defenseman and keep pucks trapped in the Bruins' end. Lohrei, like many young defenders, becomes subject to misplays when he doesn't have enough time to execute. Other teams know the Bruins aren't among the swiftest at transitioning from defense to offense. Opponents have the green light to let loose on the forecheck because the reward of occupying the offensive zone is worth the risk. 'When you have teams that are coming at you, you have to make sure you know where your proper support is coming out of the defensive zone,' Sacco said. 'Know where your outs are. Know where your support is on the ice. That's just being in the right spots at the right times. So if our defenseman's under pressure or we have a forward under pressure, he has to know, 'I have support in this area, I can make these plays.' Or you have to get your feet moving. You can't get stuck. The puck has to move. Or your feet have to move. It's one or the other.' It has not helped that the Bruins are down Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, their two sharpest puck-moving defensemen. Both are better than most at initiating exits, either by skating pucks out of danger or finding teammates up the ice. The 2025-26 Bruins will be better when both are back and healthy. The Bruins could also consider bringing back Jokiharju, who belongs in the mobile category. Advertisement The defense could undergo additional makeovers if general manager Don Sweeney identifies swiftness as a priority. Nikita Zadorov is better known for his physicality than puck-playing predictability. The same goes for Andrew Peeke, although the Bruins are thinner on the right side than on the left. Up front, the Bruins only have five forwards under contract for next year. Sweeney has more flexibility to optimize the 2025-26 Bruins for more pace at forward than he does on the back end. Additional room for options, however, does not guarantee offseason execution. Everyone wants to get faster. The game is not slowing down. The Bruins learned that the hard way this year. (Top photo of Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Dahlin: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Can the Bruins rebuild in time around David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman?
TAMPA, Fla. — Will Zellers is having a very good season for the Green Bay Gamblers. The left-shot forward leads the USHL with 38 goals in 42 games. In 2025-26, Zellers, acquired in the Charlie Coyle trade from the Colorado Avalanche, will be a freshman at North Dakota, a perpetual NCAA contender. None of this guarantees the 18-year-old Zellers will become a Boston Bruin to form the support staff for David Pastrnak (28), Charlie McAvoy (27) and Jeremy Swayman (26). Advertisement 'See him as more of an AHL scorer,' wrote one NHL director of amateur scouting, granted anonymity to discuss a prospect whose rights do not belong to his club. 'Will produce in college, but will it translate to pro?' This is the issue with acquisitions such as Zellers, the 2025 second-round pick from the Trent Frederic trade and the 2026 first-round pick from the Brandon Carlo deal. Their NHL timelines may be mismatched when it comes to the franchise's contention expectations around its three best players. As Pastrnak noted after Saturday's 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the right wing is one of the Bruins' oldest players. While there are still plenty of points remaining in Pastrnak's stick, time is ticking when it comes to maximizing No. 88's window of stardom. Don Sweeney's swift and deep carvings at the deadline, in other words, represent only the first stage of the turnaround. The general manager's next step, be it in free agency or with additional trades before the 2025 NHL Draft, is to reinforce the roster while Pastrnak is still pouring in pucks, McAvoy is thumping bodies and pushing the pace and Swayman is taking goals off the scoreboard. GO DEEPER 'Needed to turn the page': Bruins begin new era with roster-smashing deadline day For now, Casey Mittelstadt, the primary return in the Coyle transaction, is the player most ready to give his stars a hand. The 26-year-old centered the No. 2 line against the Lightning between fellow Minnesotans Cole Koepke and Vinni Lettieri. The left-shot center was also on the No. 1 power-play unit, primarily working his strong side. Mittelstadt initiated the Bruins' first goal by intercepting a Nick Perbix clearing attempt. When Perbix approached to close, Mittelstadt pulled the puck around the defenseman and floated a backhander onto Koepke's stick. It was a creative, high-speed maneuver by Mittelstadt, whose career high in helpers is 44 with the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23. Advertisement 'Ability to hold onto pucks,' interim coach Joe Sacco said when asked how Mittelstadt caught his attention. 'Poise with the puck, especially coming over the blue line a couple times, cutting across in the offensive zone. Just hanging onto pucks, the ability to have some confidence to make some plays in those areas.' Mittelstadt, the No. 8 pick in 2017, is signed through 2027 at $5.75 million annually. He is a different center than Coyle, the latter an older, heavier and more reliable three-zone presence. 'A lot of speed today I saw,' Pastrnak said. 'Casey's line had a great game.' By being the No. 2 center behind Pavel Zacha, Mittelstadt pushed Elias Lindholm to the third line and Matt Poitras out of the lineup against the Lightning. Lindholm, on the books until 2031 at $7.75 million annually, is on track to be Sweeney's most miscast signing. The 30-year-old is best suited to be a checking-line center, not the No. 1 pivot the GM signed him to be. As for Poitras, Sacco did not know the plan for the 20-year-old. Poitras was assigned to Providence on deadline day to be eligible for the AHL playoffs. So were Lettieri, Patrick Brown, Ian Mitchell and Riley Tufte. Lettieri, Brown and Mitchell were then recalled to play against the Lightning. Poitras and Tufte were not. Poitras, once projected to be a top-two center, was riding a nine-game scoreless streak. Of the other acquisitions, Marat Khusnutdinov, 22, projects to have the highest offensive ceiling. Khusnutdinov was the No. 3 left wing Saturday next to Lindholm and Jakub Lauko. The left-shot forward is quick, shifty and creative with the puck. It's possible he could become a third-liner. Khusnutdinov's entry-level contract expires at year's end. Lauko, 24, is a depth wing. Henri Jokiharju, who requested a trade from the Buffalo Sabres, will be unrestricted. Time will tell whether the Bruins extend the right-shot defenseman. Advertisement So until Sweeney acquires more help, Zacha, Morgan Geekie and Mason Lohrei will make up the secondary tier. Geekie and Lohrei will be restricted. Geekie will have arbitration rights, which will give him muscle during negotiations. Geekie will earn a raise over his current $2 million average annual value. This will leave the Bruins with enough cash to be aggressive in free agency. It cost them last summer when they erred on Lindholm. But perhaps Mitch Marner will be available this time. It's the kind of impact player Sweeney needs to keep the pain of what he initiated at the deadline from stretching into multiple dark years. (Top photo of David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
Boston Globe
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Who needs practice? Minnesota trio meshed well playing together for first time in Bruins' win over Lightning
In a season of so much gone wrong for the Bruins, Koepke, Mittelstadt and Lettieri at least for one afternoon delivered a motherlode of joy in the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Three Minnesota guys coming full circle, playing together in the NHL,' said a smiling Koepke, musing over the newly-minted 3M brotherhood, 'it's pretty cool.' Advertisement Until Saturday, the three Minnesotans never played on the same line at any level, be it as amateurs or pros. Koepke, from Two Harbors, often lined up against Mittelstadt, from Eden Prairie, in their high school hockey days. Lettieri, 30 years old and four years their senior, grew up in Excelsior. But in the global mix master of circumstance and caprice that is the NHL, Friday's acquisition of Mittelstadt, the slicker talent of the three, had the 3Ms shaking hands for the first time as teammates a mere three hours prior to puck drop on Saturday. Practice? Forget practice. They jumped out there for the pregame warmup, rolled through their line rushes as the few minutes allowed, and went to work — accumulating an aggregate 46:24 in ice time. It likely earned them the right to work together again Tuesday when the Related : Asked postgame Saturday if he would lobby GM Don Sweeney to import, say, a handful of other Minnesotans, a smiling Koepke said, 'Yeah, bring 'em all in!' Advertisement Vinni Lettieri congratulates Cole Koepke after Koepke gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the second period against the Lightning on only the Bruins, still clinging to the slim hope of locking down a wild-card playoff seed in the East, could dip into the Land of 10,000 Lakes to find all their answers over the remaining 17 games of the regular season. Even with the blanking of the Lightning, they awoke Sunday with their .508 points percentage ranking 13th in the conference. They have some serious leapfrogging to do in the standings to get into the top eight, and precious little time to leap. 'If you keep playing the way we have the last couple of games, the bounces will go your way eventually,' said interim coach Joe Sacco, prior to boarding Saturday night's charter flight back to Boston. 'We got some … and we were able to extend our lead. That doesn't necessarily mean you can breathe easier [within a game], but it helps your psyche at times.' Koepke's first goal midway through the second period snapped the scoreless tie. Mark Kastelic provided a touch more oxygen with his goal, off a shot from outside the blueline, for the 2-0 lead, with 6:44 to go in regulation. The Bruins, their lineup turned inside out on Friday with all of Sweeney's deals, were a league-worst 1-6-2 in their prior nine games. The red-hot Lightning were 10-1 in their last 11. For those with the itch for the growing world of legalized sports gambling, good luck identifying dead-certain NHL wagers. 'We still have to look and see who fits where,' said Sacco, when asked to appraise the overall look of a remade roster, and what impressions his new lines made in Tampa. 'It's opportunity, right? They need to take advantage of it — and good for them today.' Advertisement *** Brandon Carlo, among the vets wheeled out Friday by Sweeney, made his Leafs debut Saturday in his home state of Colorado, where Charlie Coyle's Avalanche rolled up a big 7-4 win. Carlo logged 22:04 in ice time and led the Leafs with six blocked shots. Coyle (swapped for Mittelstadt), making his Avalanche debut, assisted on one of the seven goals and logged 11:44 . . . After an off-day Sunday, the Bruins return to work late Monday morning at Warrior, the start of a busy week that will see the Panthers (Tuesday) and Lightning (Saturday) come to town — around a quick up and back to Ottawa to face the Senators on Thursday … Decades ago, Minnesota delivered Tommy Williams to the Bruins. A proud son of the Iron Range (Duluth), the dynamic skating Williams was only 21 when he cracked the Bruins' roster for the start of the 1961-62 NHL season — a time when Americans occupied NHL roster spots on par with the frequency that snowflakes piled up on Miami Beach. Williams produced admirably (232 points in 391 games) across some very lean years on Causeway Street only to be dished to the expansion North Stars on May 7, 1969. Exactly one year and three days later, Derek Sanderson fed Bobby Orr for the goal that delivered the franchise's first Cup win in 29 years. Timing, ya know? Other than Ken Hodge, born in Birmingham, England, every member of that '70 Cup team was born in Canada. Advertisement Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Boston Globe
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
What to know about new Bruins forward Casey Mittelstadt, a former ‘Mr. Hockey' in Minnesota
Here are five things to know about the new Bruins center. He played college hockey at Minnesota. Growing up in Minnesota, Mittelstadt got the opportunity to play college hockey for the Gophers. Mittelstadt spent one season at Minnesota from 2017-18, and while his team didn't qualify for the NCAA tournament, it did give the forward a chance to prepare for the NHL. Mittelstadt recorded 30 points in his lone season at Minnesota before joining the Sabres, who drafted him eighth in 2017. Advertisement He briefly crossed paths with Trent Frederic in college. Mittelstadt and Trent Frederic won't get a chance to be teammates in Boston — Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up However, the two did cross paths before they became NHLers. Mittelstadt's Gophers played Frederic's Badgers in the 2017-18 season, Frederic's sophomore year. Mittelstadt recorded a goal and two assists across the four games, and Frederic scored as well. It looks like Frederic and Mittelstadt will continue playing on opposite benches for future encounters. He spent most of his professional career in Buffalo. Mittelstadt built his NHL career with the Sabres, where he spent his first six seasons and change. His career-high in points (59) came with the Sabres in the 2022-23 season, and he followed that up with a 57-point season the following year with Buffalo and Colorado. Mittelstadt developed into a solidified role on the Sabres' power play, an area Don Sweeney Though in his 2024-25 stint with the Avalanche Mittelstadt didn't amass the same on-ice production he had in Buffalo, he can still be a reliable hand with the Bruins, especially if he returns to form. He played alongside another one of Boston's trade acquisitions. Mittelstadt isn't the only former Sabre to join the Bruins at the deadline, either. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju joined Buffalo just one year after Mittelstadt, and the two played five seasons together. Now, they're reuniting as veterans who will be fixtures for Boston for the remainder of this season. Advertisement He's a former 'Mr. Hockey' and a decorated high school athlete. The Minnesotan was a bona fide high school star, collecting plenty of accolades early in his hockey career. Being tabbed 'Mr. Hockey' in Minnesota in 2017 was among his most notable achievements, but Mittelstadt also was named Associated Press player of the year, USA Today All-USA athlete of the year, and was a multi-time All-State player. To earn that many awards in a state known as one of the hockey hotbeds of the country is an impressive feat.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's immigration golden ticket not on the cards soon: experts
Donald Trump has boasted of selling US residency to wealthy foreigners through an around $5 million "Gold Card" from as early as March, but immigration experts say the planned visa cannot be created without Congress. "We have it all worked out from a legal standpoint," the US president declared last month, assuring the new card would be on the market two weeks later. It "goes on sale very, very soon", he then told Congress Tuesday. While his administration has "significant authority" to manage existing visa programmes, creating a new visa category "would require an act of Congress", Migration Policy Institute communications director Michelle Mittelstadt told AFP. - Not without Congress - A similar programme to the "Gold Card" already exists in the United States. Created in 1990 to stimulate the economy, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program offered a permanent residency card -- better known as the Green Card -- provided they invest enough capital in an American business. Other conditions include creating or preserving at least 10 permanent jobs reserved for American employees. In the United States, permanent residents can usually apply for naturalisation after five years. Some 8,000 people were issued a EB-5 visa in 2022, according to Mittelstadt. "We're going to replace it with the Trump gold card," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. The EB-5, he said, "was full of nonsense, make-believe and fraud, and it was a way to get a green card that was low price". However, "an existing program established by Congress and set in the law cannot be unilaterally changed this drastically simply by the executive branch. It would not be legal," said Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, Director of Government Relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The US Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power to legislate on immigration under Section 8 of Article 1. Trump claims that the United States could "sell maybe a million of these cards" to reduce the country's debt. But "current law only authorises up to 10,000 EB-5 visas annually", Dalal-Dheini said. To change the quota, the backing of Congress would be essential. - Long legislative process - "It is highly unlikely that that the program could begin this month," Mittelstadt said. Even with a Republican majority in both chambers of Congress, "it is likely that this type of legislation would require more than a simple majority to pass it," Dalal-Dheini said. The legislative process could "take weeks if not months, or may never come to be". It remains unclear what level of support the changes even has in Congress, she added. "There are some pockets of resistance, even in conservative circles, to the idea of selling US citizenship," Mittelstadt said. If Congress approved the new visa, it would still require "a significant period of time" for the country's immigration services to develop the necessary guidance and materials to launch the programme, she added. ecb/ico/asm/giv/sbk
