With a degree in business marketing from the University of Minnesota, Luke Mittelstadt hopes to eventually work in sales.
And as a seventh-round (No. 197 overall) Canadiens draft choice in 2023, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound blue-liner might be hard-pressed convincing Montreal management he’ll eventually make it to the NHL.
“I think I’m a two-way defenceman that can play all over the ice,” Mittelstadt said this week after a Laval Rocket practice at Place Bell. “I can bring pucks out (of the zone) and make the guys around me better.”
Mittelstadt, 23, turned pro with the Rocket after signing a two-year, US$2.0275 million contract on March 13. He has played four games with Laval and scored his first goal on March 27 in his third game, at Bridgeport.
Laval head coach Pascal Vincent paired Mittelstadt with Adam Engstrom, who was recalled by the Canadiens this week after an injury to Alexandre Carrier. Mittelstadt practised with 2023 No. 5 overall draft choice David Reinbacher this week.
“He makes good decisions, is smart, competes and has good hockey sense,” Vincent said of Mittelstadt. “He can jump into the play and can defend. I’ve been very impressed with him. It looks like he has been here the whole year. He’s a good player.”
But good enough to eventually play with the Canadiens? Mittelstadt wouldn’t have signed if he didn’t believe that possibility existed. While seventh-round draft picks face an onerous task, Montreal centre Jake Evans is proof it can be done.
Still, the Canadiens’ blue line has depth — even without Reinbacher, who has spent the entire season in the AHL, but appears ready to be promoted. And because Mittelstadt went two years without getting drafted, he jokes about actually considering himself a 21st-round pick. Still, he realizes he’s considered a long-term prospect.
“I need to keep getting faster,” said Mittelstadt, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn. “The first step is super important, especially at the next level. I’ll keep rounding out my game.
“You can’t give the other team an inch,” he added. “In college, you can get away with that a bit. Here, I’ve learned you can’t do that.”
Mittelstadt is known for being a steady, intelligent, puck-moving player. He spent four seasons at Minnesota and was one of three players who served as a team captain his senior year. He had 11 goals and 80 points in 152 career games and led Gophers defencemen this season with two goals and 19 assists in 36 games.
Mittelstadt also was part of the U.S. team that captured a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship.
Not only has hockey become a full-time job, Mittelstadt said it’s not easy joining a team this late in its season. He praised the organization for being so accommodating.
“You don’t want to overstep,” he said. “They have a good culture, and I’m not here to change that. They’ve truly built something special. I can see that.
“Back at school, I was going to class before practice, fitting in workouts. Here, it’s wake up, get breakfast, work out. I feel like there’s a little more stress that comes with it. You have to learn how to manage that, but it has been great. Everyone here has been awesome. The players have been great, and I’m super fortunate. It’s a bit of a change. I have to get used to it.”
While Laval (39-20-7) remains first in the AHL’s North Division, it’s on a three-game losing streak, although two of the defeats came in shootouts. Laval has been held to four goals in three games. The Rocket’s lead over Syracuse has shrunk to one point, and the Crunch holds a game in hand.
Laval, with six games remaining, is preparing to host Calgary Friday (7 p.m., RDS) and Saturday afternoon. While finishing first in the division for a second consecutive season would be a boon, Vincent said it won’t come at all costs after a discussion with Rocket general manager John Sedgwick.
Notes: With injured defencemen Tobie Bisson and Josiah Didier nearing a return, Darick Louis-Jean has been assigned to ECHL Trois-Rivières. … Forward Alex Belzile will miss both weekend games in anticipation of the birth of his child.
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