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Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft / Pick #22 - K'Andre Miller (D)

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People saying that he lacks offense is just lazy scouting report grazing. He doesn't have a big point shot so he automatically gets labeled as "lacks offense" by the scout blurb.

He played a Winger a majority of his career and development. He will have (and thus far has) no problem joining the rush and naturally knows how to control the puck on the offensive side of the ice. He isn't going to run a PP but you'll never see him fumbling the puck like a grenade as half NHL defensemen seemingly do.

Development of his natural positioning and backwards skating (transition to defense) are usually the biggest areas for improvement for D prospects and that is no different here. But, if he develops those even at average I see this guy as a floor of a steady 2nd pairing Dman.
 
Inferno said:
You can never have too many defenseman....never.

Remember last year people talking about the embarrassment of riches...and by the end of the season we had Sproul and ogara playing regular minutes?

Defenseman are always in demand and the hardest thing to get once they hit.
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One of the Rangers best assets is the ability to lure Free Agents when they need them. It is much more common for a solid forward to hit the market than a Dman. Loading up on defense is a solid way to go.
 
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Ola said:
According to Bobby Mac some had him in their top 10.

I think some scouting services had him wrong, but I think a big reason for that was due to him having all these good Ds infront of him. Hughes, Samuelsson and so forth. Wilde.

A defensemen is not going to play super confident small margin defense on a 3rd pairing, it’s not happening. The pts won’t pile up.

I had him 10th in April because I really liked how well the kid played overall. Good defense, good offense, very good physically. A lot of potential in him. Leave him a few years in college. Has No 1 potential.
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I'm not sure he played much third pair defense. The pairs this season were mostly Samuelsson-Emberson, Miller-Wilde, Samuelsson-Stastney.
 
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Just for the record, I love the Miller pick-up — but I don’t like that 5 of our other picks were LDs too...
 
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Miller basically split the difference as to where I thought he might go.

Reports had a lot of teams high on him, especially based on his finish. They loved the atheleticism, they loved the ability to learn and adapt.

He’s a raw kid and I think there were some higher offensive expectations for him than he delivered on. But if you readjust those expectations, and project him as a mobile guy who can move the puck, but not necessarily put up a ton of points, you’re more likely to be interested in what you see.

He’s another kid who is still figuring out his game — positioning, how to pick his spots, how to read and react, but the skills are there and he’s coachable.
 
Inferno said:
You can never have too many defenseman....never.

Remember last year people talking about the embarrassment of riches...and by the end of the season we had Sproul and ogara playing regular minutes?

Defenseman are always in demand and the hardest thing to get once they hit.
Click to expand...

agree 100%. you can never have too many dmen. i just wish they weren't all LHD
 
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Watching more video on Miller today it’s not skjei he reminds me of. Not Seth Jones.

He reminds me of a young bigger Ryan Mcdonagh who was a beast coming into the league. The offense not being there yet either at the young age. Hopefully going to Wisconsin does wonders for him.
 
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I love this player and what he might become but with the rest of the draft in the books and the overall makeup of our prospect pool I really, really wish they took Bokk with this pick.
 
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While Miller is slotted in behind many of the top-ranked defencemen in this draft, the word most scouts use to describe him is “potential” and he’s projected as a top-pairing defender once he gains more experience at the position. He has size and a physical presence, and uses a cannon-like one-timer to generate offence. His speed allows him to cover up some of his defensive mistakes, but those situations should be less frequent as he becomes more comfortable in his own end.
 
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haveandare said:
For whatever reason I see totally contradicting info on point shots for most d men. Wonder why that is.
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Not sure but from the videos it looks like he's got a shattenkirk type shot...decently accurate writer with non existent slapper...but I haven't seen anything other than YouTube vids
 
Hard shots matter less and less in a modern league from the point.

There are some exceptions like Subban, but with the frequency of blocked shots and deflections now, I'll take mobility and vision at the point over shot speed. The number of goals that are made or broken by the difference between 90 and 100mph is likely pretty small.
 
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this kid is all upside. he's a physical monster. he's got great wheels and a smooth, powerful stride. he's strong and can play sounds smart defense.

his hands arent polished and his ability to score is limited. some question his feel for the 200 ft game. i see him as a solid mid/late 1st and have zero problem with the pick. he's got all the tools.

hes a potential monster 2nd pair physical defensive 2 way guy who can skate like the wind and play major minutes. sold.
 
Inferno said:
I've read he has a weaker shot from the point everywhere else....weird.
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He destroyed everyone in grip strength at the combine, ultimately that is what shooting power is about. You aren’t stronger than your weakest link, and when shooting in hockey the hands are the weakest link. With some work his shot should definitely be fine. I’ve seen him really put some mustards and some wristers. I’ve also seen him unload some slappers that wasn’t that scary.
 
offdacrossbar said:
this kid is all upside. he's a physical monster. he's got great wheels and a smooth, powerful stride. he's strong and can play sounds smart defense.

his hands arent polished and his ability to score is limited. some question his feel for the 200 ft game. i see him as a solid mid/late 1st and have zero problem with the pick. he's got all the tools.

hes a potential monster 2nd pair physical defensive 2 way guy who can skate like the wind and play major minutes. sold.
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I think he has No 1 D potential. He does everything well, I think he has potential to just pick it all up, of course has a long way to go but I would like to see him a three years at least in college. We won’t regret the wait if we give him time.
 
His upside is absolutely a number one defenseman, but he needs a lot of time to develop his physical gifts even greater and to work on taking his offensive game to the next level. Thankfully, he's going to one of the very best college programs we could have hoped for.
 
EssEmmEll said:
I don't like this one bit. Too high a price to move up. If this guy was gone I would have certainly gone Woo or Ginning and not lost a moments sleep.
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I`m with you here. I hope we are soon done with this draft, and look ahead for the training camp, but we still have a summer window to deal & wheel, and hopefully Gordie is retired soon. :)
 
Kovalev27 said:
Watching more video on Miller today it’s not skjei he reminds me of. Not Seth Jones.

He reminds me of a young bigger Ryan Mcdonagh who was a beast coming into the league. The offense not being there yet either at the young age. Hopefully going to Wisconsin does wonders for him.
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From a physical attributes standpoint, that's actually a pretty decent comparison and one that's crossed my mind a few times.

I don't think the vision or reads are there (or will be) like they are for McD, but I think the skating, strength and ability to move the puck could be there someday.

Not sure I see him as a first pairing guy, because of some of the limitations, but the long-term potential is very good.
 
Ola said:
He destroyed everyone in grip strength at the combine, ultimately that is what shooting power is about. You aren’t stronger than your weakest link, and when shooting in hockey the hands are the weakest link. With some work his shot should definitely be fine. I’ve seen him really put some mustards and some wristers. I’ve also seen him unload some slappers that wasn’t that scary.
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How were his pullups at the combine? That will translate to slapshot power.
Grip strength is potential for overall strength and if you are born with that he has a chance to become a monster.
 
The two things sticking out to me are catchup speed and watching him close off guys trying to enter the zone. The more I watch the happier I am that we picked him. We are so passive letting guys into the zone. This guy is like a missile, whether it's checking the guy into the boards or using his stick.
 
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