season with the Devils' minor league affiliate, the Albany River Rats, registering a goal and three assists. In his first Devils' training camp in September 1999, he broke a finger in his left hand during a fight in a rookie game against the Boston Bruins. The injury required three pins to set the finger in place. Although sidelined, the Devils signed him to a rookie contract in September 1999. After recovering, he was assigned to the River Rats. Mitchell received a call-up late in the season and made his NHL debut on March 27, 2000, in a 5–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He stayed with the Devils for a week before being returned to the AHL. He finished the 1999–2000 season with 19 points over 63 games with the River Rats and no points in two games with the Devils. The following season, Mitchell made the Devils' opening lineup, but was a regular healthy scratch. After appearing in 11 games, he was returned to the AHL on November 22, 2000. He registered his first NHL point, an assist, during his initial stint. After injuries to Devils defencemen Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski, Mitchell was recalled on February 10, 2001. The following month, after having been sent back down to the AHL, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on March 4, 2001, in exchange for defenceman Sean O'Donnell. Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars (2001–06) Following the trade, Mitchell became a full-time NHLer, playing in 17 games with the Wild to finish the season. He completed his rookie NHL season with a goal and 10 assists over 33 games between the Devils and Wild. In his first full season with the Wild in 2001–02, he recorded three goals and 13 points in 68 games, while earning $550,000 from his initial rookie contract with the Devils. He missed 14 games due to three separate shoulder, groin and wrist injuries. Establishing himself as a top-four defenceman on the team, paired with Brad Bombardir, Mitchell ranked third on the team in average ice time with 21:25 minutes per game. The following season, he improved to a third-ranked plus-13 on the team after going –16 the previous season. He went on to help the club make a run in the 2003 playoffs to the semi-finals, leading the team with a +5 rating in 18 post-season games. He suffered a cheekbone injury during the