Prospect Info: 2020 Draft #111 - Mitchell Miller (RHD) [Mod Warning post #312]

[Mosby]

I suspect we learned more about the events between when we drafted him and today. That led to today's announcement.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Do you think it's possible that the Coyotes gave Miller an opportunity/ultimatum to do the right thing and apologize in person (in the past day due to pressure)? Maybe Miller was too proud and refused to do the right thing?

I honestly believe that the totality of the Coyotes' direct contact with Mitchell Miller was Bill Armstrong's welcome call after the draft. Everything else they said about Miller was window dressing and spin.

 

[Jagged Ice]

Y'all are high. We're winning the cup and the Jets are moving to Tucson in 2021.

 

[JPeeper]

Hope we all stay consistent with that no 2nd chances motto I keep reading here but somehow I doubt it will apply to everyone going forward.

Context. He had 4 years to apologize and never did, when something comes out that is similar then we shall see. Not criticising anyone, just pointing out the context to why some think he doesn't deserve a second chance (like myself), he had 4 years and multiple times to sort it out and he went the selfish route (lettering NHL teams) instead.

 

[KG]

The more I think about this situation the more outraged I become. If "new" information was learned, how do you fail to do due diligence on your prospects? If you knew and decided to draft any way, be prepared for the heat. Now we lost another draft pick for no reason. This risk was completely unnecessary. If you're sitting at the draft table and looking at this player in today's environment, why the f*** would you make that controversial choice? Complete failure of risk mgmt.

Armstrong should honestly fire whoever made this call. It was completely avoidable from a multitude of angles and now the org has lost a pick and a prospect from a self-inflicted wound.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Just scanning through this. Kind of surprised that nobody even mentioned the possibility that the decision to renounce Miller came directly from Alex Meruelo.

It might, and also it would be a good idea to make it sound that way as it:

- Shows some sort of higher final call decision by "the boss"
- Also leaves BA totally out of it, kind of protecting him in the process; BA is kind of everybody's last hope really.

XG is taking this one on the chin for the lads, I suspect.

Up to BA to sort out how Miller was drafted in the first place.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Ps. I am not very sure this is a good thing, but I will be surprised if anyone (outside passionate people like us) will even talk about this in a couple of days time.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Insider Trading: There were gasps in other NHL war-rooms when Coyotes picked Miller

Per Lebrun, Coyotes called Meyer-Crothers and within an hour made that decision to renounce the pick.

 

[mouser]

Whole thing was handled poorly in multiple ways.

 

[More Cooley]

The annoying part is that this shit show could have been avoided all together if we just had picked another player....jesus.

 

[XX]

Best case scenario: A few scouts they weren't even hot on keeping recommend this and Jankowski/Sullivan went with it on their word.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

What has also got to suck is that Arizona's earliest pick from this draft is now only in the 5th round (although Carson Bantle is a good 5th round pick). They effectively lost 4 high round picks in 2 drafts due to shear incompetence.

I had Miller ranked in the 3rd round, but that was assuming this was past him. NHL teams should have been able to interview the guy leading up to the draft and I imagine he would have been one of the hardest drilled guys out of everyone.

Fans should be absolutely pissed about that, and the NHL should be absolutely pissed about that... Especially since it is a team which has struggled to generate consistent interest for a long time now.

 

[rt]

Not defending anyone here, but is it possible the order came from the NHL? Would explain the all of a sudden change of heart. Story was starting to get national news and a real bad rich white kid priviledge look for the league. They surely don’t want that right now (the league).

it’s not like the league hasn’t pressured like this before ie John Scott to Montreal a week before the all star game.

Great point. I love how you come roaring back from the past to make a great point.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Not defending anyone here, but is it possible the order came from the NHL? Would explain the all of a sudden change of heart. Story was starting to get national news and a real bad rich white kid priviledge look for the league. They surely don’t want that right now (the league).

it’s not like the league hasn’t pressured like this before ie John Scott to Montreal a week before the all star game.

hi Chootoi, long time! Good point.

Hope all is well.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

and as punishment the NHL will announce soon that we've lost our #1 rounder in 2022.

 

[Lindberg Cheese]

Not sure which is bigger, The level of Miller’s Douche baggery or the level of Coyotes‘ management incompetence. This is what happens when an org spends too much time touting itself via a feel good media spin machine and not enough time in oversight actually making sure that its conducting business in the way that they’d have the public believe. I think Gutierrez should go being the chief engineer of this stupid governance model.

I didn’t believe that an organization capable of making Chakya look good existed until now

 

[Byron Bitz]

I suspect we learned more about the events between when we drafted him and today. That led to today's announcement.

So they didn’t do their homework on this pick

 

[Lou is God]

I'm so sorry for you good Coyotes fans that have to go through this, hang in there.

 

[CLW]

The more I think about this situation the more outraged I become. If "new" information was learned, how do you fail to do due diligence on your prospects? If you knew and decided to draft any way, be prepared for the heat. Now we lost another draft pick for no reason. This risk was completely unnecessary. If you're sitting at the draft table and looking at this player in today's environment, why the f*** would you make that controversial choice? Complete failure of risk mgmt.

Armstrong should honestly fire whoever made this call. It was completely avoidable from a multitude of angles and now the org has lost a pick and a prospect from a self-inflicted wound.

Yeah, this was my immediate reaction too on draft day. How is it possible this was allowed to happen? It is not only one stupid mistake, it's a litany of stupidity and incompetence from multiple people that allowed this to happen.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

So they didn’t do their homework on this pick

That is, in fact, exactly what Bill Armstrong said in this updated story by Jose Romero at The Arizona Republic:

Gutierrez and General Manager Bill Armstrong, who was not involved in drafting Miller, called Joni Meyer-Crothers on Thursday to apologize prior to cutting ties with the player.

"They just said they wanted to apologize and they said they didn't do their due diligence and wanted to know if there was anything they could do for our family," she said. "I said, 'No.' There is nothing they can do. … They said it was no excuse and they messed up."

Also fun: now Isaiah's family is receiving threats from hockey families in their hometown:

Joni Meyer-Crothers said she was sick to her stomach when she found out Miller was cut, but he still has not personally apologized to her son or family.

"It's a very sad situation all the way around," she said. "And now we are getting threats from hockey families in Sylvania."

Arizona Coyotes renounce rights to controversial pick Mitchell Miller

 

[XX]

So they didn’t do their homework on this pick

Gutierrez and General Manager Bill Armstrong, who was not involved in drafting Miller, called Joni Meyer-Crothers on Thursday to apologize prior to cutting ties with the player.

"They just said they wanted to apologize and they said they didn't do their due diligence and wanted to know if there was anything they could do for our family," she said. "I said, 'No.' There is nothing they can do. … They said it was no excuse and they messed up."

Joni Meyer-Crothers said she was sick to her stomach when she found out Miller was cut, but he still has not personally apologized to her son or family.

"It's a very sad situation all the way around," she said. "And now we are getting threats from hockey families in Sylvania."

He said the Coyotes had since further investigated the Miller situation.

"We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights.

Arizona Coyotes renounce rights to controversial pick Mitchell Miller

 

[rt]

I'll say this about Miller, if it was a different team with a better reputation that didn't have a pick in the 1st three rounds that gambled on Miller at 111th, I wouldn't have a problem with the pick at all. I'm pretty sure the Islanders didn't pick until 90th, or something. If the Islanders took him, I'd be fine with that.

I think if he's kept his nose clean with Honey Baked, with Cedar Rapids, with Tri-City, with USA Hockey, and so far with NoDak, and if all of those former managers, coaches, trainers, teammates, and billet families all vouch for him as a great kid who's turned things around, I think he absolutely deserves another shot.

I think so much of what has or has not happened since April 25th 2016 is blown out of proportion or is wild speculation. He played with some high-end programs, in a close-knit community, in a pretty small world of midwestern USA hockey. If his reputation was good there, I'd be fine with the kid getting a shot with a respectable franchise like the the Bruins or Sharks or someone like that.

I just couldn't handle it being the Coyotes. Too much of a gongshow. Chaos scales up as more chaos. Layering chaos doesn't create a solid foundation.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Here's hoping the Meyer-Crothers family doesn't have to move now.

 

[XX]

If it's true the kid still hasn't apologized then I'm thrilled to be rid of him.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Making sure that people know his behavior has not stopped is NOT bullying. I don't remember seeing her demand the org do anything but acknowledge the kid's recent past behavior.

That her letter was picked up by reporters, reddit, twitter, insta, etc etc etc is NOT bullying. IF any or everything she detailed was FALSE then, it would be bullying.

As for the kid? He needs help now for his past behavior and to get as "right" as he can in the head AND for his future. IF UND should release him, that would be imo a mistake. He needs time to show he has or will change... that he's acknowledged he will be a better person.

How? Start a fund to educate people on what bullying is and is not, how to stop bullying (realistically not the "turn the other cheek" b.s.); volunteer in shelters, anything that shows he has some shred of decency to him and is redeemable.

AND FOR FREAK'S SAKE: apologize to the family and the son directly - own the b.s. he did... promise to be better

Everyone was bullied in high school (or earlier). I was. Pricker bushes in the hair, shoved into lockers; tomatoes thrown at me; house egged; taunted. Worst was probably the centipedes some bish put in my pants as she sat behind me in lit class. All that is just stupid teenager crap.

What Miller did to the disabled kid? Sociopathic - like he thought of the worst things he could do to a defenseless kid and then did them.

There has been no solid proof that his behavior has not stopped, just his Mom's words.