J. T. Miller Explained

J. T. Miller
Birth Date:14 March 1993
Birth Place:East Palestine, Ohio, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:217
Position:Center/Left wing
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:Vancouver Canucks
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:New York Rangers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Draft:15th overall
Draft Year:2011
Draft Team:New York Rangers
Career Start:2012

Jonathan Tanner Miller (born March 14, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] He has previously played for the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was selected by the Rangers in the first round (15th overall) at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. A versatile forward, Miller can play as a center or winger.

Early life

Miller grew up in a residential area in East Palestine, Ohio, blocks away from the East Palestine City School District campus, attending kindergarten through 10th grade.[2] He began playing ice hockey at a young age and also participated in other organized athletics, including baseball and football. Miller played for several ice hockey teams from the age of five through 12 before ending up with the Pittsburgh Hornets from age 12 to age 16, as at the time his family was living in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis.[3] Miller played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Pittsburgh Hornets minor ice hockey team.[4] In 2009, Miller moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to participate in USA Hockey's two-year National Team Development Program (U.S. NTDP).

Playing career

Amateur

Miller began 2009–10 with the U.S. NTDP of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[5] After two seasons playing in the program, he was selected in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers.[6]

For the 2011–12 season, Miller transitioned to major junior ice hockey, joining the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Towards the latter stage of the season, he then joined the Connecticut Whale, the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for their run in the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs. He registered one assist in eight playoff games, and after Connecticut was eliminated, Miller was added to the Rangers' Stanley Cup playoff roster.[7]

Professional

New York Rangers

Miller joined the Rangers organization for the 2012–13 season. After beginning the season with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL, Miller was recalled by the Rangers on February 5.[8] On February 7, he recorded his first two career NHL goals, against Evgeni Nabokov of the New York Islanders in a 4–1 win.[9] [10] After the Whale season concluded, Miller was added to the Rangers' 2013 playoff roster, but did not play in a game.[11] Miller wore #47 during the 2012–13 season but switched to #10 for the 2013–14 season. Miller split time between the Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack during the season. At the end of the Wolf Pack season, Miller was once again added to the Ranger's playoff roster, making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 5 of the Rangers’ first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, recording an assist on a Brad Richards goal.[12] Ultimately, Miller played in four playoffs games, recording two assists as the Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

Miller finally secured a full-time roster spot with the Rangers during the 2014–15 season, scoring 10 goals and 13 assists in 58 games. Miller agreed to a one-year contract extension on July 15.[13]

Miller had a breakout season in 2015–16, scoring 22 goals and 21 assists, at times finding himself on the Ranger's top line with Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. After the season, Miller signed a new two-year, $5.5 million contract with New York.[14]

Miller set even higher marks during the 2016–17 season. Despite finishing with the same goal total of 22, he recorded 34 assists for a career-high 56 points.

During the 2018 NHL Winter Classic, Miller scored the overtime-winning goal in a 3–2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field in Queens, New York.[15]

Tampa Bay Lightning

On February 26, 2018, Miller was traded (along with Ryan McDonagh) to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Libor Hájek, Brett Howden, Vladislav Namestnikov, a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[16] On March 13, 2018, in a 7–4 Lightning loss to the Ottawa Senators, Miller scored his first career NHL hat-trick.[17] On June 26, 2018, Miller signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract with the Lightning.[18]

Vancouver Canucks

On June 22, 2019, on the second day of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Miller was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Marek Mazanec, a third-round pick in the 2019 Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[19] On October 28, during a 7–2 win over the Florida Panthers, Miller scored his 100th career goal.[20] That season, Miller would achieve the greatest all-around season of his career up until that point.[21] In his first season with the Canucks, Miller would either tie for the lead, or outright lead the team in goals (27), assists (45) and points (72) during the regular season, as well as tie for the playoff points lead (18).

On September 2, 2022, Miller signed a seven-year, $56 million contract extension with the Canucks.[22]

On January 13, 2024, Miller was named an NHL All-Star for the first time in his career.[23]

International play

Miller represented the United States junior team at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he played in six games, scoring two goals and two assists.[24] [25]

Miller was also selected to represent the United States at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he led the team with seven assists and tied for the team lead with nine points, winning a gold medal in the process.[26]

Miller represented Team North America, a team consisting of players age 23 and under, in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, but only appeared in one game.[27]

Personal life

Miller and his wife Natalie have two daughters and one son.[28] [29]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPG APtsPIM
2009–10U.S. NTDP JuniorsUSHL29571232
2009–10U.S. NTDP U17USDP171091947
2009–10U.S. NTDP U18USDP10000
2010–11U.S. NTDP JuniorsUSHL213121548
2010–11U.S. NTDP U18USDP3512233538
2011–12Plymouth WhalersOHL612537626113281018
2011–12Connecticut WhaleAHL80112
2012–13Connecticut WhaleAHL428152329
2012–13New York RangersNHL262248
2013–14New York RangersNHL30336184 0 2 2 2
2013–14Hartford Wolf PackAHL4115284347
2014–15Hartford Wolf PackAHL18691512
2014–15New York RangersNHL5810132323191782
2015–16New York RangersNHL82222143465 0 3 3 4
2016–17New York RangersNHL82223456211203321
2017–18New York RangersNHL6313274028
2017–18Tampa Bay LightningNHL1910818121726815
2018–19Tampa Bay LightningNHL751334473040220
2019–20Vancouver CanucksNHL6927457247176121814
2020–21Vancouver CanucksNHL5315314643
2021–22Vancouver CanucksNHL8032679947
2022–23Vancouver CanucksNHL8132508260
2023–24Vancouver CanucksNHL813766103581339128
NHL totals7992384016394419112445666

International

YearTeamEventResult GPGAPtsPIM
2010United StatesU17654928
2011United StatesWJC18649136
2012United StatesWJC7th62240
2013United StatesWJC72792
2016Team North AmericaWCH5th10000
Junior totals2513223536
Senior totals10000

Awards and honors

AwardYear
NHL
NHL All-Star Game2024
Vancouver Canucks
Fred J. Hume Award2020
Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award2022
Cyrus H. McLean Trophy2022
Three Stars Award2022

Notes and References

  1. News: Rangers recall J.T. Miller to replace grieving Chris Kreider in Saturday's lineup vs. Flyers following death of Kreider's grandfather. Leonard. Pat. November 29, 2014. New York Daily News. 2014-11-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20141201214101/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/rangers/rangers-recall-miller-replace-grieving-kreider-sat-blog-entry-1.2027436. 2014-12-01. live.
  2. News: Miller joins Lightning's quest. March 14, 2018. The Morning Journal. February 27, 2018. The 24-year-old Miller attended East Palestine schools through his sophomore year.
  3. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/penguins/nhl-draft-coraopoliss-miller-ranks-high-among-power-forwards-303338/ NHL Draft: Coraopolis's Miller ranks high among power forwards - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  4. Web site: Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA. 2018. Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2019-01-06. March 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306085544/https://www.publicationsports.com/ressources/files/439/Joueurs_Pro.pdf. dead.
  5. Web site: USHL. Two Team USA Forwards Commit to North Dakota. October 27, 2010. June 24, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110626160341/http://www.ushl.com/news/story.cfm?id=3512. June 26, 2011. dead.
  6. Web site: First-rounder Miller agrees to terms. New York Rangers. July 28, 2011. January 5, 2012.
  7. Web site: McIlrath added to Rangers playoff roster. Gourlie, M.. Moose Jaw Times-Herald. May 15, 2012. May 16, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131022101435/http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Sports/Hockey/2012-05-15/article-2980222/McIlrath-added-to-Rangers-playoff-roster/1. October 22, 2013. dead.
  8. Web site: Rangers recall Miller, Mashinter . . 2013-02-05 . 2013-02-05.
  9. Web site: J.T. Miller first NHL goal against Islanders . . 2013-02-07 . 2013-02-07.
  10. Web site: New York Islanders at New York Rangers Box Score — February 7, 2013. hockey-reference.com.
  11. Web site: Rangers call up 10 players from Whale. April 28, 2013. New York Rangers. April 29, 2013.
  12. Leonard, Pat. “J.T. Miller Has Successful Playoff Debut for NY Rangers in 4-2 Win over Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5.” New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2019, https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/miller-time-rangers-article-1.1771082.
  13. Web site: Peters. Chris. Rangers re-sign RFAs J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast to short-term deals. cbssports.com. March 14, 2018. July 15, 2015.
  14. Web site: Rangers, Miller agree to contract extension . . 2016-06-24 . 2016-06-24.
  15. Web site: Special goal for J.T. Miller in big win for Rangers at Winter Classic . . 2018-01-18 . 2018-01-18.
  16. Web site: Lightning acquire D Ryan McDonagh, F J.T. Miller from New York Rangers. NHL.com. February 27, 2018. February 26, 2018.
  17. Web site: Hoffman scores twice, Senators win to stop Lightning run. sportsnet.ca. March 14, 2018. March 13, 2018.
  18. Web site: Lightning re-sign forward J.T. Miller to five-year contract. NHL.com. June 26, 2018.
  19. Web site: Canucks acquire J.T. Miller from Lightning for Mazanec, draft picks. Sportsnet.ca. June 22, 2019. June 22, 2019.
  20. Web site: Kevin Woodley. Panthers' eight-game point streak ends with loss to Canucks. NHL.com. October 28, 2019. October 28, 2019.
  21. Web site: Staff. The Point Editorial. 2020-02-18. Behind J.T. Miller's Breakout Season, Why He Complements Elias Pettersson - The Point Data-driven hockey storytelling that gets right to the point.. 2020-09-30. The Point. en-US.
  22. Web site: Miller agrees to seven-year, $56 million contract extension with Canucks . 2022-09-03 . NHL.com . en-US.
  23. Web site: Johnston . Patrick . Call it the Canuck-Star game: five players and coach Rick Tocchet named as All-Stars . 2024-01-13 . 2024-01-13 . TheProvince.com . en-US.
  24. Web site: Miller makes U.S. World Junior team. New York Rangers. December 22, 2011. January 5, 2012.
  25. Web site: Player Statistics by Team - USA. IIHF. January 5, 2012.
  26. Web site: Player Statistics by Team: USA. IIHF. January 7, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131017014553/http://stats.worldjunior2013.com/Hydra/306/IHM3060USA_83_7_0.pdf. October 17, 2013. dead.
  27. Web site: J.T. Miller. ice.wch2016.com. March 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170629232941/http://ice.wch2016.com/player?id=8476468. June 29, 2017. dead.
  28. Web site: J.T. Miller embracing journey west, potential of up-and-coming Canucks. Sportsnet. September 19, 2019. September 19, 2019.
  29. Web site: In their own words: J.T. Miller. Tampa Bay Lightning. August 20, 2018. September 19, 2019.