Growing up a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, J.T. Miller didn't much care for the New York Rangers.
"I didn't particularly like the Rangers," Miller said. "They were in the Atlantic Division playing against the Penguins so I didn't really follow them too much or know too many of their players when I was younger."
That all changed in 2011 when the Rangers made the East Palestine, Ohio native their first pick (15th overall) in the NHL draft. The Penguins, who selected 23rd that year, never got a shot at Miller, who continues to develop into one of the Rangers more important players.
Miller, 23, improved to 23 goals and 43 points last season, up from 10 and 23, respectively, the year before. This season, centering a line with Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes, Miller is third in team scoring with 16 goals and 36 points in 50 games.
Miller said there is a certain amount of pressure that goes with being a first-round pick, but that only serves to motivate him.
"I think they expect me to bring my 'A' game on a nightly basis and I expect a lot from myself. I challenge myself to get better every year. I don't want to settle. I have high expectations and I want to be a leader and regular contributor on the team."
Miller kicked off the season as a member of Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. He said he enjoyed the experience, playing with a group of players 23 and under, but was disappointed with his team's end result.
"It was awesome," Hayes said. "I had a good time and we had a really good team. It was unfortunate that we got eliminated when we did because I thought we were getting better and better as the tournament went on."
'Learning the game'
This is Miller's first full season in the NHL, having played parts of the past three seasons with Hartford and Connecticut of the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound pivot said there is a simple reason why he has been able to stick — and succeed — with the Rangers.
"I think the main thing is my consistency and learning the game," Miller said. "I came in at a young age so I just tried to take things in from the older players and find a balance to my game. You have to find your role with the club."
Averaging 16:09 ice time per game, Miller has proven himself to be adept in key situations. Three of his goals have come with the Rangers playing shorthanded and five of his goals are game winners.
"Obviously most of us were offensive-gifted players when we were growing up and it's easier to display it at a lower level, but it's harder to do it in the NHL, and for some people it takes time to figure out where to make plays on the ice and when to try things," Miller said.
With the slumping Rangers on a two-game losing streak and having won just five of their past 10 games, Miller said he still believes they have a legitimate shot of being a strong playoff team. The Rangers feature a handful of younger players including Miller, Brady Skjei, 22, Jimmy Vesey, 23, Kevin Heyes, 24 and Chris Kreider, 25 among others. Even leading scorer, Derek Stepan, is only 26.
"This year is much different," Miller said. "In the past I think we leaned on more experienced players, but this year we are young and fast. We are an opportunistic group and I think when we play a full 200-foot game and play a good 60-minute game we have shown that we can be really tough to handle."
And Miller has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt he can handle the pressure of being a top-six NHL forward.
Rangers centre J.T. Miller adept to all situations
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