He certainly got his fair share of Buffalo over the past year, beginning when he came to town for the NHL Scouting Combine last June. He was there when Sabres fans packed HarborCenter for development camp in July and when a record-setting crowd of 44,592 packed New Era Field at the World Junior Championship in December.
He also knows that he'll be counted on as part of a young core tasked with turning the Sabres around.
"I was able to see how nice the fans are and how really dedicated they are to the team," he said. "I think I can feel the struggle a little bit. Obviously, there's a big emphasis being put on the young guys to kind of turn it around here and I think there's a really good young core. Rochester's doing really well and it's definitely exciting."
Mittelstadt met the face of that young core on Tuesday. Jack Eichel welcomed him to the fold by treating him to lunch, a significant gesture.
"It's definitely something pretty cool for a kid like me," Mittelstadt said. "I think obviously, being a hockey player, you know who Jack Eichel is. Getting to know him and having him welcome you like that, it's something really special for me. I think it's good to know that he's excited I'm here and that he's interested in getting to know me."
They'll get to know each other on the ice over the next two weeks, as Mittelstadt gets his first taste of life in the NHL.
"I'm going to try to approach it like any other game," he said. "I'm one who likes routines, you can call them superstitions, whatever. I guess I like my routines and I'm going to try to stick to them. They've gotten me to this point.
"And obviously coming to pro these [six] games will help me out, maybe give me some new routines, things I need to do better before games, just things like that. That's why I'm here. I'm here to learn and I'm here to get ready for next season."