U.S. forward Casey Mittelstadt, left, pursues Canada’s Conor Timmins along the boards during the outdoor game played at the world juniors tournament in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Dec. 29. (AP photo)

Buffalo’s win-starved hockey fans got a promising glimpse into the future thanks to Casey Mittelstadt. The 19-year-old forward from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, earned tournament MVP honors while keying the United States’ run to a bronze medal.

“You have to find hope and positive energy from a performance such as Casey’s,” Sabres general manager Jason Botterill told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

“With it being here in Buffalo, there was that added pressure,” Botterill added. “And I think you saw a player who instead of succumbing to the pressure, actually thriving in that type of environment.”

Mittelstadt, selected by the Sabres with the eighth pick in last year’s draft, finished tied for the tournament lead with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in seven games. And the University of Minnesota freshman punctuated his visit by scoring a highlight-reel goal in a 3-2 preliminary-round loss to Slovakia.

United States forward Kieffer Bellows, second from right, celebrates his goal with teammates Casey Mittelstadt, second left, and Joey Anderson as Russia defenseman Yegor Zaitsev looks on during the first period of a quarterfinal hockey game at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y., last Tuesday. (AP photo)

With Team USA trailing 2-1, Mittelstadt stripped the puck from Marian Studenic at the Slovakia blue line and circled back into the zone. Mittelstadt kicked the puck between his legs to avoid a check by defender Michal Ivan and didn’t break stride in cutting across the top of the crease and avoiding goalie Roman Durny. He swept a shot into the open left side with 3:11 remaining.

“He’s got a whole arsenal of fun stuff to watch,” said U.S. captain Joey Anderson, who grew up with Middelstadt.

Botterill laughed when asked how many times he replayed the goal.

“What I was really impressed about that goal was certainly it was a beautiful, beautiful hockey play, but it was the timing of it,” Botterill said. “Here was a scenario where he was trying to give his team a spark in a crucial situation. I think that’s certainly what we need here in Buffalo.”