Center Casey Mittelstadt believes the stigma sometimes associated with highly regarded high school hockey players entering their NHL Draft year should be a thing of the past.

Mittelstadt (6-foot, 201 pounds) proved it against his peers Thursday when he scored two goals for Team Mark Howe and was named most valuable player despite a 6-4 loss to Team John Leclair in the fifth CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game at Wells Fargo Center.

Entering his senior year at Eden Prairie High School (Minnesota), Mittelstadt, 17, could be the best high school player available for the 2017 NHL Draft. Last season he had 21 points in six playoff games but the Eagles lost to Wayzata in the Class AA Championship game at Xcel Energy Center.

"I think a lot of people question [high school players] but ultimately it comes down to the player and making the best decision for myself and I think I made the right one (returning to Eden Prairie for his senior year)," Mittelstadt said. "I guess if a team questions players in high school, it means I just need to continue to perform well in the United States Hockey League when I get the chance or impress in events like the All-American Prospects Game."

Mittelstadt will play with Green Bay in the USHL before and after the high school season. He will be in the lineup for Green Bay on Friday when the Gamblers host Madison, and will play 10 more games in the USHL before joining his teammates at Eden Prairie for the start of the high school season. He scored 33 goals and 80 points last season for Eden Prairie and was named the Associated Press Player of the Year in Minnesota.

Read more at NHL.com.