Mittelstadt split time last season between the Sabres and the AHL's Rochester Americans. The 22-year-old recorded four goals and five assists in 31 games with Buffalo.
The Sabres drafted Mittelstadt eighth overall in 2017. He's appeared in 114 career NHL games thus far, tallying 17 goals and 22 assists.
As previously announced, the season will begin on Jan. 13. The NHL will usher in the campaign with a five-game slate, including a matchup between the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning will raise their championship banner to the Amalie Arena rafters before the game.
The regular season runs until May 8, with 15 games on tap for the final night of action before the playoffs. There is at least one game scheduled every day, which means that there will be 116 consecutive days of games played.
Despite Wednesday's schedule release, lawmakers and health officials in several Canadian provinces have yet to sign off on the NHL's North Division.
The annual World Junior Championship treats fans to the best young talent across the hockey world. Throughout the years, countries have assembled teams filled with future NHL stars or, sometimes, players who shone at the tournament before fizzling out.
Let's take a look at five of the most exciting teams to hit the ice at the world juniors.
Finland, 2016
There are few things more exciting than watching a host nation captivate its home crowd. The 2016 Finland squad did just that in Helsinki by claiming the country's fourth-ever gold medal at the tournament.
Led by the dynamic trio of Sebastian Aho, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi, the Finns didn't exactly cruise to an easy championship. They faced some incredibly stiff competition along the way, which included a tight 6-5 victory over Canada in the quarterfinals, a 2-1 win over Sweden in the semis, and a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory against Russia in the finals.
HEIKKI SAUKKOMAA / AFP / Getty
Puljujarvi led the tournament in scoring with 17 points in seven games, while Aho and Laine finished second and third with 14 and 13 points, respectively. The team was rounded out with defenseman Olli Juolevi, forwards Mikko Rantanen, Kasperi Kapanen, and Roope Hintz, and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen who played all games in the playoff round. Puljujarvi was named tournament MVP, while he, Juolevi, and Laine were handed All-Star nods.
Soviet Union, 1989
The Soviet Union absolutely dominated the competition in 1989, led by a trio of future superstars - Alexander Mogilny, Pavel Bure, and Sergei Fedorov. Both Mogilny and Fedorov had already established some solid chemistry during the '88 tournament, but the 17-year-old Bure put the Soviets over the top.
At the time, the world juniors didn't feature a playoff round - it was simply a round-robin tournament. The Soviets went 6-1-0, with their sole loss coming against Czechoslovakia. They held the highest goal differential in the tournament by far, scoring 51 goals while conceding just 14 in seven games. Sweden, who finished in second place with an identical record, scored 39 and allowed 14.
Americans Jeremy Roenick and Mike Modano finished the tournament first and second in scoring, respectively, but the United States was forced to settle for fifth place. Bure ended his tournament in third, while Mogilny and Fedorov finished fifth and sixth.
The 1989 world juniors ultimately marked the final gold medal for the perennially contending Soviet Union.
Sweden, 1993
Sweden just missed out on the gold medal in 1993 but was still the tournament's best squad. Its top two players - Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund - put on what many consider to be the most dazzling world junior performances of all time.
Due to the round-robin format, Canada won gold with an identical 6-1-0 record, ultimately edging out Sweden due to a narrow 5-4 victory in the nations' second game of the tourney.
Canada finished with a respectable 37 goals scored and 17 against, but those numbers paled in comparison to Sweden's monstrous differential of 53 goals scored and 15 against. Forsberg set a tournament record by scoring 31 points in seven games, while Naslund also set a record with 13 goals. The team didn't feature a ton of depth beyond Forsberg and Naslund, but the two were so dominant on their own and skated circles around the competition.
Canada, 2005
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Canada has certainly put together some of the greatest teams in world junior history. Over the past few decades, all eyes always seem to be on the Canadians entering the tournament, and they're often touted as favorites. While the team has iced some fantastic rosters through the years, the one that won gold in 2005 was on another level.
In 2005, the stacked Canadian team ran roughshod over its competition. The Canadians went 4-0-0 in the preliminary round, scoring 32 goals and allowing just five. They beat the Czech Republic 3-1 in the semifinals before breezing past Russia with a 6-1 drudging in the gold-medal game. Canada wasn't in danger for seemingly a single second on its way to a first gold medal since 1997.
Bergeron was named MVP after leading the tournament in scoring with 13 points through six games, while Getzlaf trailed just behind with 12. Crosby and Carter, both 17 years old, also finished inside the top 10 in scoring.
United States, 2013
The Americans have iced numerous incredible teams over the years, but 2013 may have been their most well-rounded and dominant one to date. John Gibson may have put on one of the best goaltending performances in the tournament's history, but that doesn't mean the team in front of him wasn't stacked, either.
The Americans didn't fare too well in the round robin, winning twice and losing twice. But they turned on the jets once the playoff round began. They inflicted a 7-0 beatdown of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals before humiliating a solid Canadian squad 5-1 in the semis. The U.S then took care of Sweden in the finals, winning 3-1.
Gibson allowed just nine goals all tournament, with only two of them coming during the playoff round. He finished with a .955 save percentage and unsurprisingly took home MVP honors.
Cirelli has become one of the league's best young two-way centers. The 23-year-old helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup last season, collecting 16 goals and 28 assists in 68 regular-season games before adding three markers and six helpers in 25 playoff contests.
He finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting in 2019-20.
The restricted free agent is the team's final unsigned player on its NHL roster. Tampa Bay is more than $6 million over the salary cap following the signings of forwards Mathieu Joseph and Alex Volkov on Wednesday, as well as those of defensemen Erik Cernak and Jan Rutta earlier this week.
Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov is dealing with a hip issue, reports TSN's Darren Dreger. One way to clear cap space would be to place the winger on long-term injured reserve, though there's been no indication the ailment is that significant.
Last season was Cirelli's second full NHL campaign. Tampa Bay selected him 72nd overall in 2015.
The NHL Stadium Series outdoor game set for Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina has been postponed from its scheduled date of Feb. 20, 2021.
"While we are extremely disappointed that we will not be able to host an outdoor game this season, the health and safety of our fans remains our top priority," Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "We look forward to hosting the game in the near future and rewarding our incredible fan base with an unforgettable experience."
The contest on the NC State campus is slated to be the NHL's 32nd regular-season outdoor game, and the first to feature the Hurricanes. Other historic college football venues that have hosted NHL games include Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
Haula was perhaps the top unrestricted free-agent center remaining on the market.
The 29-year-old concluded this past campaign with the Florida Panthers, recording a pair of assists in seven games. The Carolina Hurricanes traded him to Florida in a package that netted them forward Vincent Trocheck on Feb. 24.
Haula has battled injuries over the last two seasons after racking up a career-high 29 goals and 55 points with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18.
The dependable two-way pivot began his career with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him 182nd overall in 2009. He reunites with good friend and former Wild teammate Mikael Granlund, who re-signed with Nashville on a one-year, $3.75-million contract earlier Wednesday.
Due to Ontario's imminent lockdown, the OHL is once again delaying the start of its 2020-21 season.
The OHL was most recently targeting Feb. 4 for its opening puck drop, with training camps slated to begin in mid-January. Players were scheduled to report to camp in early January.
"This decision follows Premier (Doug) Ford’s announcement of a province-wide shutdown in Ontario commencing on Dec. 26, 2020," OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. "The league will continue to consult and work closely with governments and health authorities to determine potential start dates in the new year."
Branch also cited cross-border travel restrictions as a factor in the decision.
In early August, the league pushed the target start date for the season to Dec. 1. In late October, the OHL was reportedly eyeing a 40-game season that would begin in early February.
The lockdown will go into effect on Dec. 26 at 12:01 a.m. ET and last until Jan. 23 for all of southern Ontario. Nearly all non-essential businesses will be ordered shut, and most schools will be closed for in-person learning for over two weeks.
In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.
Team Canada needed to get back on track at the 2015 world juniors following back-to-back fourth-place finishes. It was the first time since 1979-81 that the program failed to win a medal in consecutive years due to losses in the bronze-medal game.
More than a handful of players, including Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart, returned for this tourney in Montreal and Toronto after experiencing the 2014 disappointment in Sweden. They would ultimately redeem themselves both individually and as a team.
The roster
Player
Position
Age
Lawson Crouse
F
17
Max Domi
F
19
Anthony Duclair
F
19
Robby Fabbri
F
18
Frederik Gauthier*
F
19
Curtis Lazar*
F
19
Connor McDavid*
F
17
Nick Paul
F
19
Nic Petan*
F
19
Brayden Point
F
18
Sam Reinhart*
F
19
Nick Ritchie
F
19
Jake Virtanen
F
18
Madison Bowey
D
19
Dillon Heatherington
D
19
Joe Hicketts
D
18
Samuel Morin
D
19
Josh Morrissey*
D
19
Darnell Nurse
D
19
Shea Theodore
D
19
Eric Comrie
G
19
Zach Fucale*
G
19
*Denotes returning player All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Canada opened its tournament schedule by crushing Slovakia 8-0 with Fabbri posting two goals and two assists. A day later, Canada cruised to a 4-0 shutout victory over Germany.
The competition got a bit tougher after that, but the Canadian squad didn't waver and beat Finland 4-1. Before the medal round, Canada's biggest scare came on New Year's Eve against a U.S. team featuring Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews. However, a pair of goals from Domi helped Canada defeat the Americans 5-3 in both nations' final round-robin contest.
Canada's first game of the medal round invoked a bit of deja vu, as the hosts trounced Denmark 8-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal, Slovakia had a chance to avenge its tournament-opening loss to Canada by the same score, but the result wasn't much better for the Slovaks. Petan potted a hat trick and the Canadian side coasted to a 5-1 win, setting up a gold-medal showdown with Russia.
The championship game reached a crescendo in the second period. Canada led 2-1 after 20 minutes, but McDavid, Domi, and Reinhart buried goals in a span of about seven minutes in the middle stanza. Russia responded shortly after, notching a trio of markers in just over three minutes to get back to within one. However, Canada clamped down in the third period and secured the gold with a 5-4 victory.
The stars
Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Canadians dominated the tournament's scoring leaderboard. Reinhart, Domi, and Lazar led all skaters with five goals apiece, while Petan and Duclair finished among those tied for second with four. McDavid tied for third in goals with three and led all players with eight assists, tying for the points lead with 11.
Petan and Reinhart equaled McDavid atop the points race. Domi tied for second in that department with 10 and was named the tourney's best forward. McDavid, Reinhart, and Morrissey joined Domi as All-Stars at the event.
The key moment
Just over five minutes after Domi gave Canada a 4-1 lead in the gold medal game, Reinhart provided the dagger, tipping home Domi's shot to extend Canada's lead to four with seven and a half minutes remaining in the second period. Reinhart's goal was his team's third in a span of 7:22.
While it appeared to be a mere insurance marker at the time, it turned out to be the most important play of the night, and thus the tourney, because Russia stormed back with three consecutive goals to cut the lead to 5-4 late in the middle frame.
The fallout
Icon Sports Wire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
After the Edmonton Oilers won the NHL draft lottery in April 2015, they selected McDavid with the No. 1 pick - to no one's surprise - that June. He was considered the game's next generational talent at the time, and the 2016-17 Hart Trophy winner has lived up to the hype, becoming arguably the league's best player over the last few seasons.
The Buffalo Sabres chose Reinhart second overall about six months before the tourney began. While he hasn't become a superstar, he's blossomed into a dependable offensive player who has shown chemistry with Eichel.
Several other players on Canada's 2015 world junior roster turned into talented NHLers, including Point and Theodore. However, Petan and Lazar haven't lived up to the potential they displayed at this event - particularly in the latter player's case.
Like McDavid, Nurse debuted for the Oilers in 2015-16. Though he managed only a single point in this tournament, he's become a vital cog on Edmonton's blue line.
After its 2015 triumph, Team Canada stumbled for a sixth-place finish in 2016 and a silver medal the following year before reclaiming gold in 2018.
