Mia Miller - Biography

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MIA MILLER - BIOGRAPHY

 

INTRODUCTION

Mia Miller steps through the open door of the bench and takes her first skate on VHLM ice.  This was the recent reality for Kingston’s Mia Miller, who recently made her debut for the Philadelphia Reapers of the VHLM, after signing a contract that will carry on until the Season 99 VHLM Dispersal Draft.  So to familiarize everyone with her talent, as someone who has followed along for quite some time, I thought I should share this biography about her life and career thus far.

 

EARLY YEARS

Mia Miller was born on a hot summer’s day in Kingston, Ontario.  While the family didn’t necessarily push hockey onto her, the love that she would quickly show for it would ultimately become undeniable.  Watching hockey with her dad, skating on the frozen pond just down the road…it wouldn’t take long before she started to play hockey at four years old.  While it would take some time for her to excel and really become the player she eventually became, these were some of the most important steps.  Mia would play a few years before being recruited to play in a more competitive league with some of the best players her age in the province.  

 

While she stood out for a few reasons, Mia always made it a point to expect no special treatment.  She played physical as soon as they were allowed to hit and had the speed and surprising strength to hold her own with the boys of her age and even higher.  Playing defense, she was excellent at using her body control and stickchecking ability to separate player’s from the puck.  These are things you could see at a very young age.  A decent skater technically, her biggest areas needing improvement were her shot and playmaking ability.  Ultimately, she seemed smart about the game and strong positionally, but lacked the confidence and skill to do things with the puck.

 

That would all change once she was selected to join the Quinte West Red Devils AAA team at 13 years old.  While they brought her in for the defensive side of the game, Miller had been working hard on her skills and had been seeing power skating coaches in the off-season.  Her game took off, recording 8 goals and 35 assists in 51 games.  The next season saw her take off, and considering it was her draft year…it was a good year to do it in.  Mia recorded 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 points in 55 games.  She even added 143 hits and 112 blocked shots for good measure.  Her growth was clear and there was an avenue for her to reach some pretty strong heights in junior hockey.  Could she get further than that? Well, that was the question on many scout’s minds prior to her stepping onto OHL ice for the first time.

 

JUNIOR HOCKEY

Mia’s strong final season in Quinte West saw the defender get selected in the third round of the OHL draft by the Kitchener Rangers, making her one of the highest selected women in the history of junior hockey.  The team was pretty open right out of the gate that there was a spot available and that it was hers if she earned it.  And did she ever..with her having a strong training camp and pre-season before tallying 4 goals and 23 assists in 49 games, after having a knee injury that shut her season down early.  Her physicality was not as prevalent as we may have expected, with perhaps getting used to the bigger league.  Nevertheless, it’s a point to watch as her development continues.

 

The next two years for Mia saw the Rangers be a good team that was playoff bound, but ultimately fell short in the second round.  Miller recorded 42 and 54 points respectively over those two seasons, while showing increased physicality and establishing herself as a shutdown defenseman that could play in every situation.  She had developed into a leader by the end of her third season, and had showed a lot of improvement, making her an excellent influence for younger players to follow.

 

It was Mia’s fourth and final season that ultimately would determine her future.  And she was a monster right out the gate, leading all defensemen in scoring for more than half the season, and ultimately finishing third in points by the end of it.  She was also a physical force and by far the best defender on the team in their own end.  Mia helped lead the Rangers to the best record in their conference with 21 goals and 63 assists in 67 games.  Adding on 202 hits and 142 blocked shots, her leadership and talent was a driving force for the club.  Unfortunately, the playoffs would not wind up ending the way they hoped.  Despite making it to the OHL Cup Final, they would fall short in six games, with Miller finishing her OHL career with 3 goals and 20 points over 16 games.

 

VHLM AND FUTURE

With her recently signing with the Philadelphia Reapers, Miller has jumped on the ice and in a limited role has had a decent impact.  Joining several other recruits, Mia has stood out with 6 points, 38 hits and 19 blocked shots in 19 games played.  While she isn’t getting a significant amount of minutes, she has shown a lot with limited icetime, and is expected to be a pretty high pick in the upcoming dispersal draft.  The Reapers have finished their season as the top team in the Eastern Conference and the second best record in the entire VHLM.  If she can continue to impress and help the team go on a significant run, it’s going to be hard to argue for a high selection come draft time.  For now though, let’s see if she can continue to adjust to the improved play and show that development that people have been praising her for quite some time about.
 

Edited April 17 by Advantage