“I love putting the puck in the back of the net and setting up my teammates,” is what you will hear when you talk to Portland Winterhawks rookie forward Ryan Miller.
Miller is one of two 16-year-olds playing for Mike Johnston, president, general manager, and head coach, this season in a lineup filled with veteran Western Hockey League players.
“Our two 16-year-olds are very much different players. (Kyle) McDonough is a center and more of a playmaker, whereas Miller is a hard-working winger,” Johnston said. “(Miller) will have some good size to him in the end.”
Listed at 5-foot-11, 166 pounds, Miller is working on adding muscle to his frame while working on developing the rest of his game.
Going through the rookie experience with his good friend McDonough is something Miller is thankful for. “Kyle and I have been really close friends as we’ve played hockey a lot growing up together. It is special to have him by my side and playing with me. He is a really good hockey player, and it will be fun playing with him throughout the next several years in Portland.”
In 2022, Portland selected the Medicine Hat, Alberta, native in the third round of the WHL Bantam Draft.
During his WHL draft-eligible season, Miller was on a loaded Northern Alberta Xtreme (NAX) team playing in the CSSHL (Canadian Sport School Hockey League).
“That was an exciting day. We had a really good team that year and a lot of my teammates got drafted. It was so special to me,” Miller said while recalling his draft-day experience. “I was pretty pumped for them for what they got to experience. It is always nice to see your friends go in the same draft as you.”
For many bantam players, they go through the draft while in school; however, Miller was home with his family on that particular day.
“I was ecstatic to see and hear my name called in the draft. Then, when I saw it was Portland, I was even more excited. Portland is a team everyone wants to go to,” Miller shared.
The next several hours were filled with receiving texts and calls from family and friends. He also had countless notifications on Instagram congratulating him on the accomplishment of being selected.
Miller was very appreciative of his time with NAX, saying, “Our coaching staff was really good and helped me develop and see another side of hockey I didn’t see in myself. They helped me focus more on open ice and the free-flowing part of the game. I got to play creatively, which helped me fit into Portland’s system.”
One of Miller’s best attributes to his game is his skating ability, another skill he worked on with the help NAX.
“My skating has improved so much over the years,” he said. “I always try to be speedy out there because of how fast-paced the game is out there, and you need to be faster than the guy lined up across from you. You also have to be smooth and can’t be choppy in your stride. I got a couple of power skating coaches that helped me out as well. I watched a lot of video as well to try to tweak some things here and there.”
A few months later, Miller, along with many of his fellow draftees, made their way to Portland for the Winterhawks’ annual training camp, also known as the Neely Cup. Training camp was the next item on the list, as his hard-working approach to everything was on full display.
“I knew I had to work hard that summer to get prepared for training camp. So, when I came to camp, I was ready to do the little things right and impress the coaches. At the end of training camp, they asked me to sign (a WHL Standard Player Agreement). I wasn’t saying no to that offer, no way,” Miller said with enthusiasm.
On September 8, 2022, his signing was announced; Miller was officially a Portland Winterhawk.
“I was excited to play here, so signing only made me want to play more right away. I went and played with a little bit older guys before coming to Portland. When I got here this year, I came in prepared,” he said.
Unfortunately for Miller, he suffered an upper-body injury that required surgery and prevented him from playing in the Neely Cup or 2023 preseason.
“It definitely impacted me in the offseason as I was just training and getting help to being able to play,” Miller said of the process of getting back ready to play. “As soon as I got to Portland, Rich Campbell (Portland’s head athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach) helped me a lot in person. He helped me get prepared to play games again. It was a tougher preparation because you can’t easily get going with a camp and preseason to ramp up. Rich did such a good job of getting me prepared, along with how Mike coached me along the way. He shared what I can do better and what I was doing good so far. I feel great now thanks to them.”
Despite playing three games as a 15-year-old during the 2022-2023 season, Miller made his full-time WHL debut right before the Winterhawks departed for their Central Division swing through Alberta.
Three games into his 16-year-old season, Miller got to play in his hometown of Medicine Hat.
“A lot of friends and family came out to see me play, and that was a really fun and cool experience for me. It was a special moment that I will never forget seeing everyone in the rink,” Miller said.
The next accomplishment Miller worked towards was scoring his first WHL goal.
On November 26, he found the back of the net at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, igniting ACDC’s ‘TNT’ (Portland’s goal song) for the first time.
Keep that puck!
Ryan Miller's first WHL goal ties things up at one! pic.twitter.com/EbOV7oSeA1
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) November 27, 2023
“I was pretty excited there,” he shared. “It was a little bit of relief getting the first one.”
After waiting approximately a month after playing regularly to score his first goal, Miller did not have to wait even an intermission for his second goal as he scored twice in the first period.
As excited as Miller was for his personal achievement, he had his eyes set on the team instead.
That night, the Winterhawks fell to the Spokane Chiefs. “It is too bad we didn’t come out with the win, so that was tough, I want to win as a team more. It did make me want to keep working and do whatever I could to help the team win. I wouldn’t have scored, though, without a couple of nice setups from my teammates.”
Any time a player scores his first goal, their phone usually starts constantly pushing notifications. For Miller, it was no different; however, the number of messages he received surprised him.
“I was actually caught off guard with how many people were watching me and then who then said something. That was so special to me. It was yet another awesome moment for me in my short time here in Portland. I was then able to send a lot of thank you’s to everyone who has helped me get here.”
Johnston said, “Scoring your first WHL goal gives young players confidence when they can chip in offensively. Miller is a good player because of how hard he works. He’s a hard forechecker, he’s quick, and he’s not going to be out-worked on the ice. A lot of young players is about being trustworthy on the ice defensively and reads as players come into the zone and how they play and defend in their own zone.”
More and more Winterhawks fans are starting to take notice of number 23 on the ice, the number Miller has worn for a while and the same number his uncle wore when he played.
“I’m trying to work on my defensive-zone play,” Miller said when asked what he is working on developing lately. “I want to be on the right side of the puck while also playing with more confidence. I also want to make plays with my head up more and move the puck with speed to create space and find open ice for my teammates.”
Miller has always been known for his work ethic, and being the youngest of four boys, it started when he was young.
It is safe to say the Miller family is a hockey family. Ryan’s twin brother Kyle is playing hockey back home in Medicine Hat, older brother Tyler is playing in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks, and the oldest brother Connor played for the Medicine Hat Cubs in the HJHL (Heritage Junior B Hockey League).
“Honestly, being the youngest, it toughens you up. There were a lot of little scraps,” he said.
When asked who got the better end of the scraps, Miller laughed and said, “It was pretty even, but we all had our moments.”
As Portland begins the stretch run before playoffs begin, Miller is soaking in every moment and learning from the Winterhawks’ veterans.
“Our leadership group here is so good. They help all us younger guys become better players and don’t treat us any differently. They’ve also helped me with time management as well.”
Portland is expected to make a deep playoff run this year as a top team in the Western Conference; however, the future is bright, with Miller next in line to fill the net as a top player developed by the Winterhawks organization.
