The Canadiens announced they’ve signed 23-year-old defender Luke Mittelstadt to a two-year, entry-level contract starting next season. He’ll finish out the year with AHL Laval on a minor-league contract.
The Habs took Mittelstadt in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. He had already been passed over twice and was coming off his freshman season at the University of Minnesota at the time of his selection.
After spending a full four years with the Golden Gophers, the younger brother of Bruins center Casey Mittelstadt will turn pro with the club that drafted him. He was the top name on an absolutely gutted Minnesota defense corps this season, finishing fifth on the team in scoring with a 2-19–21 line in 32 games with a -10 rating. The 5’11” lefty finishes his collegiate career with 11 goals, 80 points, and a +46 rating in 152 games.
He’s had some good seasons as an undersized but adept two-way defender. In a prospect pool as deep as Montreal’s, though, the pathway for him to break through is slight. He doesn’t feature in top-10 or top-15 rankings anywhere, and his long-term NHL future is likely that of a fringe call-up option.
Mittelstadt will hit restricted free agency after the 2027-28 campaign. Montreal now has 29 standard contracts on its books for next year.