High school hockey to the NHL
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media)
His journey to hockey success was a long one.
Not only that, while fulfilling his dreams, Sault native Colin Miller took the road less travelled.
Make that a road hardly ever travelled.
During the 2007-2008 season, Miller played high school hockey locally for the White Pines Wolverines.
Three years later, he made his Ontario Hockey League debut with the Soo Greyhounds. Three seasons after that, Miller began his professional career as a member of the American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs.
Today, at age 29, the Buffalo Sabres defenceman is completing his seventh NHL season.
“I think that at that age, I was just a kid and I wasn’t sure how serious I was into full-time hockey,” Miller said of his days with head coach Mike Cowan and the Wolverines. “A lot of buddies were playing different sports in high school. I just wanted to be a kid. I wanted to hang out with them and enjoy high school sports.”
Miller also played basketball and football at White Pines.
Does he often think back to how far he’s come?
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. Not so much now because it was so long ago,” he answered. “There are so many unique stories involving guys getting to this level. Everyone has things to overcome.”
After a season of high school hockey, Miller spent the 2008-2009 campaign playing for Mike Hall and the Great North Midget League’s Soo North Stars. A season after that, he skated for the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Soo Thunderbirds, coached by Pat Carricato.
That’s where he was spied by then-Hounds general manager Dave Torrie.
An OHL free agent, Miller was invited to the Hounds 2010 development camp, where he shone.
“I was talking to LSSU (Lake Superior State University) across the river about maybe signing there and going to college, just because I was a little older,” said Miller, who turned 18 that year.
Instead, he accepted the Hounds offer and began what would be a three-year, OHL career.
Miller skated in 66 games, producing three goals, 19 assists and an impressive plus-minus of plus-2, for a team which finished 24-36-5-3. Playing under head coach Denny Lambert, he displayed outstanding skating talent and the ability to shoot the puck well.
Torrie was fired after that 2010-2011 season and replaced by Kyle Dubas, who elevated Mike Stapleton to the head coaching position.
Going into the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Dubas commented on Miller by saying: “You can project him as an NHL player.”
But Miller wasn’t chosen until the 2012 draft. After generating eight goals, 20 assists and a plus-9 in 54 games, he was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in Round 5 (No. 151 overall).
Looking back, he spoke of owing a debt of gratitude to both Torrie and Dubas.
Named captain for his overage season, the Sault native blossomed. He put up a 20-35-55 stat line, along with a plus-13 in 54 games. Miller won the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy, named after the late Windsor Spitfires captain. It’s given annually to the OHL captain who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice, along with a passion and dedication to the game of hockey and his community.
Miller was also named to the OHL’s third all-star team.
Winning the Renaud Trophy was “a big confidence booster for me,” he said. “We came together that year with some solid young players like Darnell (Nurse), Jared McCann and Matt Murray in goal. The young guys were so hungry and then along with them we had some really good older players as well.”
Stapleton was fired early in the season and Dubas hired Sheldon Keefe, who turned the team around and led the Hounds to second place in the West Division with a 36-26-3-3 record. But seeded No. 6 in the Western Conference, the Greyhounds lost in six games to Owen Sound in the first round of the playoffs.
“Getting to know Sheldon was great,” said Miller, who experienced only two playoff wins in his three seasons with the Hounds. “He was able to take our team forward. With the type of coach and person he is, he’s a great leader and a great motivator. Obviously, it’s translated very well for him in pro hockey.”
After playing two seasons for the Kings top farm club in Manchester, Miller was dealt to the Boston Bruins in June of 2015. He made his debut with the Bruins that fall, producing three goals, 13 assists and a plus-minus of 0 in 42 games.
Miller also skated for the Vegas Golden Knights before joining the Sabres. He missed time this season after undergoing surgery at Christmas for an oblique injury. His stat line in 38 games is 2-12-14, with a minus-2.
“I’m just fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been given,” said Miller, who has played 387 NHL games, notching 29 goals and 107 assists. “Just to make it to the NHL there are a lot of people who help you along the way and there are a lot of things that have to go your way.”
His contract with the Sabres is coming to an end and Miller spoke of how he has “no clue” as to where he might end up next season. “I’m just looking forward to getting healthy over the summer.”
As for his time with the Greyhounds, Miller talked about how lucky he was to be able to play at home, in front of friends and family.
“That was special,” he said. “A lot of guys don’t get the chance to do that. I have fond memories of playing downtown in the Sault. It was awesome.”
