Mittelstadt, USA White win again at World Junior Summer Showcase

PLYMOUTH, Mich. - Sabres prospects Casey Mittelstadt and Marcus Davidsson squared off against each other in the second game of the day during the 2017 World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena.
Mittelstadt, the Sabres' first-round selection (eighth overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, had one shot on goal as Team USA White earned a 4-3 win over Davidsson and Sweden. Through two games, Mittelstadt has recorded a goal and an assist.

"It is nice to open the first two days of the tournament with two wins," Mittelstadt said.
The victory marked the second-straight win for USA White as they beat Finland to open the showcase on Saturday.
"Starting off 2-0 is definitely good for us as a group," Mittelstadt said. "However, while we came out with a victory today, we had some stretches where we did not play our best. But our goalie helped bailed us out."
American goaltender Dylan St. Cyr, who is eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, made 27 saves in the crease.
Davidsson, Buffalo's second-round selection (37th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, had one shot on goal and recorded an assist in the loss.
"Marcus is one of the guys on our team with some experience playing here as he was here last year," Swedish head coach Tomas Monten said. "While he did not make the roster for World Juniors last year, he is a much more experienced player this summer.
"He is a player who can play on the wing or center but regardless where he plays, he can play a quick two-way forward game. He is a very hard worker with a lot of speed."
Davidsson and Mittelstadt were quick to praise each other's talents after the game.
"Casey is very smart, quick player who is a good skater," Davidsson said. "He plays a really good-fundamental game and he is a tough player to play against."
Mittelstadt said that he got to know Davidsson a little bit better during the Sabres' development camp in Buffalo earlier this month.
"While it was good to play against him in a competitive setting today, I am excited to see what the future holds for us moving forward," he said.
In Sunday's early game, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017, second round) served as the backup goaltender during Finland's 4-1 loss to Team USA Blue. The netminder will resume his duties on Wednesday when Team Finland takes on Team Canada at 1 p.m. at USA Hockey Arena.
The summer showcase has a scheduled off day on Monday, but resumes on Tuesday when USA White welcomes Team Canada Red to USA Hockey Arena for a 4 p.m. contest. USA Blue will faceoff with Canada White at 7 p.m.
Cliff Pu, (2016, third round), will make his debut on Tuesday when Canada Red faces USA White at 4 p.m. at USA Hockey Arena.

About the World Junior Summer Showcase

This is the second consecutive year that USA Hockey Arena has hosted the World Junior Summer Showcase, which features some of the top players under the age of 20 from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. In total, the week-long event will include 12 international competitions between the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden.
Players are auditioning for a spot to represent their respective countries in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will take place Dec. 26, 2017 through Jan. 5, 2018, in Buffalo.
For ticket packages and more information on the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, check out BuffaloWorldJuniors.com..