Eden Prairie's Casey Mittelstadt drafted by Buffalo Sabres, 3 Minnesotans taken in first round

Eden Prairie High School standout forward Casey Mittelstadt is headed to the NHL straight out of high school.

For the eighth overall pick in the NHL Draft, Buffalo Sabres picked Mittelstadt. He was the first American selected in the draft.

Going into the draft, he was ranked as the third best player available in North America.

Mittelstadt was named Mr. Hockey for his outstanding season with the Eagles, leading them to the state tournament championship game by scoring 64 points in just 25 games.

The recent graduate is committed to the University of Minnesota.

Other Minnesotans drafted in the first round included St. Cloud State University forward Ryan Poehling and Boston University goalie Jake Oettinger, drafted 25th and 26th overall, respectively. Both Poehling and Oettinger are from Lakeville.