BUFFALO, N.Y. — Last year Casey Mittelstadt infamously failed to do a single pull-up at the NHL Combine. Fast forward to his second Sabres development camp and the center has reshaped his 19-year-old frame.

"I've definitely been working on my training, it's the thing I have been working on them most getting in the weight room and working on stuff like that,” Mittelstadt said. “Now that it will get to July I will be working on skating a lot more, working to fine tune everything. Working on my shot and getting better in every area."

Mittelstadt's maturation is needed. Last season he had five points in his six NHL games.

A small sample size, but one that put him only behind Jack Eichel in points per game and set up what fans and Mittelstadt hope is an excellent second stanza.

"I have high expectations for myself,” he said. “I don't put numbers on paper, ‘I want to get these papers,’ but I have high expectations for myself and I am hard on myself. I want to come and prove that I can make plays at the highest level."

Mittelstadt's growth will obviously help the Sabres offense, but Buffalo also bolstering its blue line this offseason. Not just drafting five defenseman, including top overall pick Rasmus Dahlin, but also signing fellow Swede Lawrence Pilut.

"It feels like a great opportunity here with a young team,” Pilut said. “It is a hungry team, it feels like, so I want to be a part of it and give it everything I've got."

On paper, everything he has is a lot. The 22-year-old netted 38 points in 52 games last year in the Swedish Hockey League. That offense as well as solid play in his own end earned Pilut SHL Defenseman of the Year.

What might be best for the Sabres is how he explains his own game. It might be a perfect fit for Coach Phil Housley.

"I would describe my game as a two-way defenseman with better offensive qualities,” Pilut said. “I like to jump on the rush and move on the blue line a lot and take shots."

The progress continues as Mittelstadt, Pilut and the rest of the Sabres return to the ice Friday for day three of development camp.