Micah Miller 2017 NHL Draft Profile

Player: Micah Miller

Position: Right Wing/Center

Height: Weight:

Shoots: Right

Team: Grand Rapids(MN) High School

Final NHL Central Scouting rank: 161st among North American skaters/Sioux City Musketeers(USHL)

What I Like

Speed

Miller has a strong lower body and very quick feet, which gives him excellent straight-line speed that can stress a defense one-on-one.

Here’s an example of him blowing by a defender in a high school game this past season:

Tenacious

Miller is a tough competitor that is always going at full speed. He’s solidly built and doesn’t shy away from contact. He’s really strong and wins a lot of loose puck battles. He doesn’t have prototypical NHL size, but he’s the type of player that could a lower line role at the next level because he plays a very heavy game.

What I Don’t Like

Lacks elite offensive upside

Miller has become a much more dynamic puck-handler and playmaker in recent years, but still doesn’t project as a big scorer at the pro level. He got 36 games in the USHL before and after his high school season, and put up number befitting a potential draft pick, but not necessarily a very high pick. He’s a lot better offensively when he can work off the rush and use his speed to create opportunities than he is setting up in the offensive zone.

Draft Projection

I’ve watched Miller for a couple years now and never would have pegged him as a future NHL draft pick when he was younger. But he has taken a big jump in development in the past year-and-a-half to become a much more dynamic offensive player, and quite frankly, even though I don’t think Miller has huge potential upside, this is just a tough year to come up with other guys I’d take before him. I’m sure NHL teams will take deeper dives into the CHL and Europe, so there’s a decent chance Miller goes undrafted, but I think it would be reasonable to take a chance on him in rounds 5-7.

Pro Projection

Miller should have a lot of time to develop before heading to the pros. He is expected to return to the USHL next season to play a full year with the Sioux City Musketeers. After that, he will enroll at St. Cloud State University to play college hockey. The Huskies have had a lot of success with smaller forwards like Miller in recent years, which bodes well for his development. In the long-term, a player with Miller’s speed and hard-nosed attitude could potentially be an effective bottom six player at the NHL level.