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Mitchell Miller (ice hockey)

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Mitchell Miller
Born (2001-12-20) December 20, 2001 (age 22)
Sylvania, Ohio, US
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 189 lb (86 kg; 13 st 7 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
NHL draft 111th overall, 2020
Arizona Coyotes (rescinded)
Playing career 2018–2020

Mitchell Miller (born December 20, 2001) is an American former junior ice hockey defenseman. He was drafted 111th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The Coyotes and University of North Dakota severed ties with Miller after his past convictions for bullying a developmentally disabled, African-American teen resurfaced.

Early life

Miller was born in Sylvania, Ohio on December 20, 2001, to John and Shelli Miller.[1][2]

Playing career

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. 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. After the end of the 2018–19 USHL season, Miller was traded to the Tri-City Storm. 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.[3][4] 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.[5] 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. In May 2020, Miller committed to play for the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team.[4][6]

At the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Arizona Coyotes used their first pick (111th overall) to select Miller.[7] On October 29, 2020, the Coyotes renounced the draft rights to Miller.[8][9] The next day, he was dropped from the University of North Dakota hockey team.[10]

Controversy

In 2016, Miller and a classmate were found delinquent in an Ohio juvenile court on charges of assault and a violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act.[2] The pair were accused of forcing a developmentally disabled African American classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, to eat a piece of candy that they had wiped along the inside of a urinal. Surveillance video also captured them kicking and punching Meyer-Crothers.[11]

The bullying incidents resurfaced after The Arizona Republic published an in-depth report on Miller on October 26, 2020.[12] The Republic exposé also revealed that Miller would frequently use the words "nigger" and "brownie" to refer to Meyer-Crothers.[13] The Coyotes initially defended Miller, citing their desire to "be a part of the solution in a real way" and to help Miller grow from this incident and eventually become a leader against bullying and racism.[13][9] Although Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong did not draft Miller, he expressed the team's desire to provide Miller with a second chance.[13]

Despite apologizing to all thirty-one NHL teams, Miller never apologized to Meyer-Crothers or his family according to the Republic.[13] In a letter addressed to the Coyotes, Meyer-Crothers' mother, Joni, found Armstrong's comments demeaning to Isaiah, stating that while Miller's classmate apologized to Meyer-Crothers, Miller himself was unwilling to show contrition. A juvenile court magistrate in Ohio concluded that Miller had no remorse for his actions against Meyer-Crothers and was merely upset that his reputation would be damaged by the situation. As a result of the exposé, the Coyotes received widespread criticism for drafting Miller.[14] This ultimately led to the Coyotes renouncing their draft rights to Miller and cutting all ties with him.[8][9][15] Miller was subsequently dropped from the University of North Dakota hockey team on the orders of the university president Andrew Armacost. Miller was still however in good standing academically, and was allowed to continue attending classes at the university.[10]

Career statistics

Source:[1]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 48 4 12 16 20 6 0 0 0 2
2019–20 Tri-City Storm USHL 44 8 25 33 40 — — — — —
USHL totals 94 12 38 50 60 6 0 0 0 2

References

  1. ^ a b "Mitchell Miller hockey stats and profile". Hockey Database. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Sylvania teen admits to assaulting classmate". The Blade. April 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "Coyotes address revelations about Sylvania draft pick Miller". The Blade. October 27, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Schlossman, Brad Elliott (May 11, 2020). "UND recruit Mitchell Miller: 'They have unfinished business and I want to come and contribute to that'". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Campbell Named To All-USHL First Team". Omaha Lancers. April 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Miller, Dale (January 27, 2020). "Mitchell Miller producing for the Tri-City Storm". The Grand Island Independent. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (October 7, 2020). "Arizona Coyotes use their first pick of the draft to take UND defenseman Mitchell Miller". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Rush, Curtis (October 29, 2020). "N.H.L. Team Drops a Drafted Player Over a Court Case Tied to Racist Bullying". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Wyshynski, Greg (October 29, 2020). "Arizona Coyotes renounce rights to draft pick Mitchell Miller after history of assault, racism surface". ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Schlossman, Brad Elliott (October 30, 2020). "Mitchell Miller no longer a part of UND hockey team". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Rowland, Kyle (March 18, 2016). "Sylvania teen admits to bullying". The Blade. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  12. ^ De la Fuente, Homero; Asmelash, Leah (October 29, 2020). "NHL's Coyotes sever ties with top draft pick who admitted to bullying Black classmate with disabilities". CNN. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Harris, Craig; Romero, Jose M. (October 26, 2020). "Arizona Coyotes top draft pick was convicted for bullying Black teen with disabilities". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Cluff, Jeremy (October 26, 2020). "Arizona Coyotes criticized by fans, media for drafting player convicted of bullying". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  15. ^ Romero, Jose M.; Harris, Craig (October 29, 2020). "Arizona Coyotes cut ties with controversial draft pick Mitchell Miller". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
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