RD Mitchell Miller - Tri-City Storm, USHL (2020, 111th, ARI, rights renounced)

[Rabid Ranger]

There are action that age doesn't justify anything. Not to mention he was 14 not like 5 or something. A 14 year old should have some idea whats ok and what is clearly psychotic behaviour. Aparently there's video evidence of the incident and from the reports its incredibly damning.

Well, I don't subscribe to that and neither does the American justice system. YMMV.

 

[WestCoastFinnie]

He gone

 

[Volica]

Probably should have been on every DND list. You let this kid work it out for a season, get him into the proper therapy routes, get him into the right classes/courses/programs so he understands what he did, and genuinely resolves this stuff (the shit about never apologizing or remorse shown is a huge red flag).

If he does all that stuff, and comes out a better person, you let him try to make the NHL the long way or as a redemption guy... drafting the guy was the wrong move. Arizona should understand that considering diversity plays a role in keeping the lights on in their market.

Dunno. People earn their second chances and don't deserve them. I think of those meathead guys I went to school with as a teenager who were so full of themselves of how great they were... 99.999% of them fizzle out by the time they're 19... this guy gets drafted in the most prestigious hockey league in the world; he's that 0.001 that ends up making it despite acting like human garbage.

 

[rt]

Seriously, how was he the first pick the Coyotes made this draft

You shouldn't take a player with this much controversy with your first draft pick when you don't have many selections to begin with. Probably would've been available with their 5th round pick given what he did, despite his talent

The Coyotes should've seen if they could've gotten an extra 4th or 3rd from someone if they were intent on drafting Mitchell imo

I could not agree more. The team that was stripped of their picks because they got cheating, took a kid who was charged with torturing another child with their first pick. It’s crazy. Especially given their Head Coach has his whole illegal gambling controversy. And then the fact that the owners (in the Casino business, among other things) were under scrutiny for missed per diem, bonuses, and rent payments. And also that they’re spear-heading diversity campaigns. Add to that the current social-political climate, and their standing ad possibly the least respected organization in the league already.

A real head-scratcher. If this kid isn’t the best freshman defenseman in all of division one next season, I really can’t see how this was even close to worth the trouble.

If they really like him as a person and really want to help him get better and improve himself on and off the ice, they could still just either let some other team do it for them, or invite him to camp, or AT LEAST take him later.

 

[Static]

I think there should be a very bright light shown on this kid's parents as well. It would seem that most of the time when a kid bullies another kid it is because he has been through some trauma of his own, usually at home.

Couple that with the fact that at any time the parents could have dragged him to the victim's house to apologise, gone over there themselves, done something, anything to try and make it right and didn't do any of that seems to show that his behavior could be of the learned variety. It's more likely than he is just a sociopath, anyway.

 

[William H Bonney]

It says everything about Miller and his family that they sent a letter to every NHL team in an effort to salvage his draft prospects, but had no interest in directly apologizing to the victim he maliciously tortured for years.

Miller makes guys like DeAngelo, Downie, etc. look like saints, which is saying a lot.

Shame on USAH for including this kid in its WJC camp.

 

[serp]

Well, I don't subscribe to that and neither does the American justice system. YMMV.

Yeah well this isn't about locking him away for life. It's about what kind of person GM's and coaches trust to be a member of a successful sports franchises. This is the kind of shit that will follow someone around . I mean the guy never apologized for christs sake.

 

[rt]

Part of maturing and becoming an adult is taking responsibility for one's actions. At 18 I would hope he would recognize that, and if not, the entire "rehabilitation" angle is a sham. He's not 14 anymore.

I agree. His quote indicates that he does take this seriously, is remorseful and is committed to improving himself.

He could be lying, of course. I hope he’s not. But he definitely could be. Even odds, really.

 

[rt]

Well, I don't subscribe to that and neither does the American justice system. YMMV.

I’m surprised that there seems to be so much disregard for the distinction between a minor and an adult here.

 

[JPeeper]

It says everything about Miller and his family that they sent a letter to every NHL team in an effort to salvage his draft prospects, but had no interest in directly apologizing to the victim he maliciously tortured for years.

Miller makes guys like DeAngelo, Downie, etc. look like saints, which is saying a lot.

Shame on USAH for including this kid in its WJC camp.

Exactly, anyone saying, "he deserves a second chance", is out to lunch. This was his opportunity and instead he went full entitlement and did nothing to actually apologize for past behavior to the ACTUAL VICTIM.

Many reports are out about how shitty he was in pre-draft interviews with teams as well.

Blame has to be on this kids parents too, them pretty much never stepping in is a huge red flag in itself.

 

[majormajor]

I wouldn’t disagree with a word of this if we were talking about adults. But we aren’t. It is wrong to demand that an 18 year old define himself by the mistakes he made as a 14 year old. It’s not wrong to demand a 28 years define himself by the mistakes he made as a 24 year old. There is a difference and it’s a very real one. It’s why we have a defined categorization of adult versus juvenile in our laws. There is a real difference between adults and children. And it’s an extraordinarily important distinction. And there is absolutely a double standard and thank God for that double standard.

That was the stance I was hoping to take here, but I'm not seeing Miller at 18 taking all the steps to own up for what happened.

What I'm finding most frustrating here is that the victim and his mother maintain that there were many years of abuse going back to when the boys were ~8 years old, with repeated assaults and racial taunts. The urinal thing and subsequent beating was just the thing that got caught on camera. And Miller's statement now, when he is 18, is that he is "extremely sorry about the bullying incident that occurred in 2016 while I was in eighth grade". By all means, second chances are great, but the first thing hasn't been reckoned with yet, nor have all the years of abuse that preceded the thing that got Miller caught in the first place.

The judge at trial said it seemed like Miller wasn't sorry, the mother of the victim says there was never a personal apology. It just seems like we've got a P.R. move made on behalf of an 18 year old kid who isn't yet ready to make proper amends.

 

[Static]

I agree. His quote indicates that he does take this seriously, is remorseful and is committed to improving himself.

He could be lying, of course. I hope he’s not. But he definitely could be. Even odds, really.

You mean the letter sent to every potential employer but not his victim? Come on.

I hope he has changed, I really do, the world needs less of this bullshit. But I'm very pessimistic.

 

[SomeDude]

I’m surprised that there seems to be so much disregard for the distinction between a minor and an adult here.

I think the reason that people are upset is because by most every account, he essentially still is the child that did those terrible things. To me, he comes off as one of those people who are sorry they got caught, not sorry for what they did. (If the statements from the victim and family are true, which I have no reason to believe why they would make any of this up).

 

[rt]

Probably should have been on every DND list. You let this kid work it out for a season, get him into the proper therapy routes, get him into the right classes/courses/programs so he understands what he did, and genuinely resolves this stuff (the shit about never apologizing or remorse shown is a huge red flag).

If he does all that stuff, and comes out a better person, you let him try to make the NHL the long way or as a redemption guy... drafting the guy was the wrong move. Arizona should understand that considering diversity plays a role in keeping the lights on in their market.

Dunno. People earn their second chances and don't deserve them. I think of those meathead guys I went to school with as a teenager who were so full of themselves of how great they were... 99.999% of them fizzle out by the time they're 19... this guy gets drafted in the most prestigious hockey league in the world; he's that 0.001 that ends up making it despite acting like human garbage.

This happened when he was 14. So all of what you suggested should happen had already (ostensibly) happened. The folks in Tri City and NoDak seem to believe in him and vouch for him.

I still agree that Arizona should not have drafted this player, however. I won’t disagree there.

 

[JPeeper]

I agree. His quote indicates that he does take this seriously, is remorseful and is committed to improving himself.

He could be lying, of course. I hope he’s not. But he definitely could be. Even odds, really.

Horseshit, this kid has never apologized to the victim. The only time was when he sent a court mandated letter, which was never actually received.

The parents of the victim said they have never received an apology letter, yet every NHL team got an apology letter so he could get drafted. I have no idea how anyone is giving this kid any kind of sympathy. He clearly doesn't give two shits about being a better person.

 

[rt]

I think the reason that people are upset is because by most every account, he essentially still is the child that did those terrible things. To me, he comes off as one of those people who are sorry they got caught, not sorry for what they did. (If the statements from the victim and family are true, which I have no reason to believe why they would make any of this up).

Not by the accounts given by the player, his handlers, the NHL team the NCAA team and the USHL team.

The counter arguments are his victims and internet hockey prospect writers.

The player and his camp are biased and could easily be lying. The USHL team maybe is lying too and just wanted the player because they think he’s that good at hockey. Maybe the NCAA and NHL team are doing the same.

The victims are still angry with him. And that is definitely worrying. The prospect website writer doesn’t mean much to me.

There are also reportedly some other NHL teams that weren’t impressed. I wish we had more detail on that.

 

[majormajor]

I could not agree more. The team that was stripped of their picks because they got cheating, took a kid who was charged with torturing another child with their first pick. It’s crazy. Especially given their Head Coach has his whole illegal gambling controversy. And then the fact that the owners (in the Casino business, among other things) were under scrutiny for missed per diem, bonuses, and rent payments. And also that they’re spear-heading diversity campaigns. Add to that the current social-political climate, and their standing ad possibly the least respected organization in the league already.

A real head-scratcher. If this kid isn’t the best freshman defenseman in all of division one next season, I really can’t see how this was even close to worth the trouble.

If they really like him as a person and really want to help him get better and improve himself on and off the ice, they could still just either let some other team do it for them, or invite him to camp, or AT LEAST take him later.

He's a really good hockey player, better than you'd expect for a 4th round pick. That's not what this is about. You're not going to make this better by drafting him in the 7th round. This is about Miller needing to do more to own up for what happened over a period of years, and he has to do all of that before an NHL org steps up to start representing him.

 

[BigTruzz]

Im always about giving out 2nd chances, but f*** this kid. Hope he gets released and never plays a game.

There's no excuse for this. Any sane, normal human would know that is wrong, even at the age of 14.

 

[rt]

Horseshit, this kid has never apologized to the victim. The only time was when he sent a court mandated letter, which was never actually received.

The parents of the victim said they have never received an apology letter, yet every NHL team got an apology letter so he could get drafted. I have no idea how anyone is giving this kid any kind of sympathy. He clearly doesn't give two shits about being a better person.

I’m sure he wrote the letter but I’m not sure it meant anything. The fact that the other kid was able to apologize in person and that the victim’s family seemed to welcome that direct apology is certainly worrying. Not sure how Miller didn’t jump at the opportunity to follow suit once learning that his counterpart had done so. It indicates some troubling things for sure.

 

[JPeeper]

I’m sure he wrote the letter but I’m not sure it meant anything. The fact that the other kid was able to apologize in person and that the victim’s family seemed to welcome that direct apology is certainly worrying. Not sure how Miller didn’t jump at the opportunity to follow suit once learning that his counterpart had done so. It indicates some troubling things for sure.

It indicates he clearly has no remorse.

Mitch isn't in total blame here, his whole family also come off as complete dicks for this entire thing. If my kid ever did something so stupid I'd drag him by his ear to apologize. This family would rather keep him in hockey and try and make millions rather than be a decent human being.

 

[rt]

He's a really good hockey player, better than you'd expect for a 4th round pick. That's not what this is about. You're not going to make this better by drafting him in the 7th round. This is about Miller needing to do more to own up for what happened over a period of years, and he has to do all of that before an NHL org steps up to start representing him.

That’s hard for me to know. I don’t know what he has or hasn’t done.

Perhaps the other bully had better parents or fewer problems. Perhaps he apologized prior to the court mandated apology letter. I don’t know. Maybe the other kid cleaned up his act sooner, while Miller continued to be a shit head for another year. I really don’t know.

 

[Leafidelity]

I'm usually one for saying "kids will be kids" and allow them to learn and grow, but this guy really did some monstrous stuff.

 

[Oilers]

“He did send letters to all 31 NHL teams prior to the draft acknowledging his behavior and apologizing to them.” - NBC Sports

kind of funny he writes 31 apology letters to each NHL team but doesn’t apologize to the victim( why? Probably because he just cares about playing in the NHL)

I don’t think you can only judge a guy by what he did when he was in highschool but he sure sounds like a pure scumbag to me.

 

[De Montreal]

I find it hilarious that now that Arizona can't get an unfair advantage interviewing prospect they get the biggest scumbag of the pool

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Not by the accounts given by the player, his handlers, the NHL team the NCAA team and the USHL team.

The counter arguments are his victims and internet hockey prospect writers.

The player and his camp are biased and could easily be lying. The USHL team maybe is lying too and just wanted the player because they think he’s that good at hockey. Maybe the NCAA and NHL team are doing the same.

The victims are still angry with him. And that is definitely worrying. The prospect website writer doesn’t mean much to me.

There are also reportedly some other NHL teams that weren’t impressed. I wish we had more detail on that.

You're just going to ignore the sentencing judge?

Fact is, either Miller has not changed, or the family is deliberately targetting and slandering him. I know which seems more likely to me, and I think it is quite literally playing devils advocate to treat the two sides as equally or similarly credible, especially when a judge signals him out amongst the perpetrators as being particularly unremorseful. The fact that the victim family maintains that nothing has changed in him is a lot more credible than what is little more than a very carefully manicured PR tour.