k andre miller new york rangers

New York Rangers 2018 first-round pick K’Andre Miller announces he’ll play another year at Wisconsin which means he completely gets it. New York Rangers prospect K'Andre Miller could be a difference-maker in the NHL next season.

Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix. Rangers prospect K'Andre Miller addressed the racist treatment he received in April while being introduced to the team's fans earlier this year, saying it was another example of his challenge to be accepted as a black hockey player.The Rangers are investigating how prospect K'Andre Miller's video chat with fans became flooded with racial slurs directed toward the African American player.Former University of Wisconsin defenseman K'Andre Miller has signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Minnesota native was selected No. Sure, that might stir the imagination just a tad.The coronavirus shutdown certainly didn’t help the cause of the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 draft – who general manager Jeff Gorton traded up four spots to select – as Miller was likely to join the Hartford Wolf Pack on a tryout contract in March in order to give him a taste of pro hockey going into next season.

K'Andre Miller (born January 21, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

So there still remains plenty of room for fans to dream, as many have during this unprecedented pause in play, of full arenas and typical playoffs and what their teams could look like when certain young players finally get a chance to prove themselves.For New York Rangers fans, it’s doubtful that too many prospects in an organization now full of them invoke more wishful thinking than K’Andre Miller.A huge, athletic defenseman who skates like a smaller man, provides a physical presence to go with untapped offensive potential and just might end up as the lynchpin of a versatile young Blueshirts blue line in the not-too-distant future?

Instead of heading to the AHL shortly after his college season ended, the pandemic led to the pause in play that left Miller and countless other kids in limbo.Yet the importance of getting Miller into the fold wasn’t lost on the faithful, who are sure to test the big guy’s mettle in the next few seasons with their heightened expectations.

Former University of Wisconsin defenseman K'Andre Miller has signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. The general manager would love to see his unexpected draft bounty trend upward in the AHL enough next season that Miller is ready to challenge for one of those spots in 2021-22, or even supplant Staal or Smith late next season, but that’s likely a far too optimistic timeline.When it comes to Miller, Rangers fans will probably have to dream for a while longer. That’s because Miller, raw as he is, could prove to be the key element in the rebuilding of the defense that, while impressive, might require his successful development to reach its full potential.Yet none of those 20-somethings can do it all.

And there’s the added priority to find a long-term consistent partner for Trouba, something the Rangers have thus far been unable to do for their prized 2019 offseason trade acquisition and who struggled at times partly as a result.Watching Ryan Graves, another big defender with a range of skills who the That importance was clear when they Rangers sacrificed a high draft pick to get into position to take Miller, and the organization’s investment in him only deepened after he was the victim of a disgusting incident during an online fan video chat in April, when a hacker posted racial slurs within the chat.“A vile individual hijacked the chat to post racial slurs, which we disabled as soon as possible,” All of that tantalizing potential is, of course, just that.

The Rangers would like nothing more than to see a short learning curve, but they aren’t going to rush him under any circumstances. The time has come to move forward in goal and on the blue-line. If he has a strong showing at the 2020 World Junior Championships, the … One would imagine that’s what the front office envisioned for Miller when they surrendered a second-round pick, 48th overall, two years ago to get into position to grab a player they didn’t expect to available so late in the first round.

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Therein lies the conundrum – the club is ready to take the next step toward playoff contention in a rebuild that’s two-and-a-half years along, yet a player who could mean so much to that process isn’t nearly ready to contribute yet.Jeff Gorton and co. will wait for Miller, of course. Miller remains an unpolished gem, a forward until being Miller came along a little later, so naturally, he’s behind them.

Miller, though, seemed to understand what would be expected of him upon being selected by the Rangers.“I come to the rink every day determined, like I said, and willing to get better,” Could the left-hander be the guy to tie it all together on the blue line for the Rangers, setting the tone on the top pair, perhaps with Trouba on his right? Two spots on the blue line are set to open up after next season, with the contracts of veterans Marc Staal and Brendan Smith expiring. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Rangers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, and played college ice hockey for the University of Wisconsin. They and the team can only hope those dreams become reality soon enough.Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey.

Miller might be able to.It’s the closing speed to reach puck carriers and deny zone entry, at which Miller, 20, excels.