Mitchell Miller (born December 20, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
His career, marked by both significant achievements and serious ethical concerns, has been a subject of considerable scrutiny.
Early Career and USHL Success
Starting in 2018, Miller played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played two games during the 2017-18 season, and stayed with the team for the entire 2018-19 season.
After the end of the 2018-19 USHL season, Miller was traded to the Tri-City Storm.
During the season, he was called up to the United States men's national junior ice hockey team to play in the 2018 World Junior A Challenge. He was once again called up to the United States junior team for the 2019 World Junior A Challenge where he had two goals and four assists in six games.
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Miller had committed to play for the Miami University men's ice hockey team and was expected to join the Red Hawks for the 2019-20 season. However, he de-committed, and opted to spend the 2019-20 season playing for Tri-City, where he finished the season with 33 points.
He also earned an all-USHL first team selection, an honor bestowed on the best players in the league as determined by the votes of the league's general managers.
The United States Hockey League (USHL) and Tri-City Storm announced Tuesday Mitchell Miller was named the League’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year for the 2021-22 season. League awards are voted on by each Member Club’s General Manager after each Club nominates their players for awards.
Miller, a native of Sylvania, Ohio, finished third in league scoring and first among defensemen with 83 points (39-44-83) in 60 games this season.
His 83 points was 26 more than the next defenseman while his 39 goals was tied for the most among all skaters in the USHL and was 13 more than the next defenseman.
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Miller’s 44 assists finished tied for 10th in league scoring and was second among blueliners this season.
Miller also finished among league leaders with 21 powerplay goals (1st), 37 powerplay points (1st), a +43 plus-minus rating (1st) and 10 game-winning goals (T-2nd). Miller’s season set new single-season, Tier I USHL records for a defenseman with 39 goals and 83 points. His 44 assists was tied for fifth in a single season.
Miller was named USHL Defenseman of the Week three times this season, all in the final eight weeks of the regular season.
Entering this season, Miller had 50 career points (12-38-50) in 94 career games over three seasons with the Storm (2019-20) and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (2017-19). Including this season, Miller finished his USHL career with 133 points (51-82-133) in 154 regular season games with another five points (2-3-5) in 11 Clark Cup Playoff appearances.
Miller is just the second Storm defenseman to win either Player or Defenseman of the Year, joining current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ronnie Attard, who won both awards in the 2018-19 season.
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Bruins sign prospect Mitchell Miller who bullied classmated
Controversy and NHL Draft
However, Miller's past actions have cast a long shadow over his professional career.
As a result of the exposé, the Coyotes received widespread criticism for drafting Miller. This ultimately led to the Coyotes renouncing their draft rights to Miller and cutting all ties with him. A day later, Miller was dropped from the University of North Dakota's hockey team as well.
In a letter addressed to the Coyotes, Meyer-Crothers' mother, Joni, found Armstrong's comments demeaning to her son, stating that while Miller's classmate apologized to Meyer-Crothers, Miller himself was unwilling to show remorse.
A juvenile court magistrate in Ohio concluded that Miller had absolutely no remorse for his actions against Meyer-Crothers and was merely upset that his reputation would be damaged by the situation.
Bruins Signing and Subsequent Termination
signed a three-year, $2.85 million entry-level contract with the Bruins on Nov. 4.
that there had been no record of Boston placing Miller on unconditional waivers required by the collective bargaining agreement for the purpose of termination.
Miller’s agent Eustace King said last year the player did community service work and did anti-bullying presentations in elementary schools before Boston signed him. Ultimately, King and his agency simply wanted to give Miller a second chance, he said on Nov.
In February 2023, the Bruins reached an agreement with Miller that permanently ended his association with the club.
According to the Republic, Miller apologized to the then 31 NHL teams (the Seattle Kraken had not formally joined the league at the time), but never to Meyer-Crothers or to his family.
Miller received an undisclosed sum of money and was granted free agency, under a condition of confidentiality.
In February 2023, the Bruins reached an agreement with Miller that permanently ended his association with the club. Miller received an undisclosed sum of money and was granted free agency, under a condition of confidentiality.
Move to the KHL
After his departure from the Bruins, Miller signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL.
| League | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | 2017-2019 |
| USHL | Tri-City Storm | 2019-2022 |
| NHL | Boston Bruins | 2022-2023 |
| KHL | Ak Bars Kazan | 2023-Present |