Mitchell Miller (born December 20, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš of the Slovak Extraliga. He was drafted 111th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but had his draft status revoked after it emerged that he had repeatedly subjected a disabled black classmate to extreme bullying throughout multiple years of grade school. A commitment to join the University of North Dakota was also ended as a result of Miller's past conduct, and in 2021 he re-joined the Tri-City Storm. In November 2022, he signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins, but the team parted ways with him two days later after intense backlash.
Early life
Miller was born in Sylvania, Ohio on December 20, 2001, to John and Shelli Miller.
Playing career
Starting in 2018, Miller played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played two games during the 2017–18 season, and stayed with the team for the entire 2018–19 season. During the season, he was called up to the United States men's national junior ice hockey team to play in the 2018 World Junior A Challenge. After the end of the 2018–19 USHL season, Miller was traded to the Tri-City Storm. Miller had committed to play for the Miami University men's ice hockey team and was expected to join the Red Hawks for the 2019–20 season. However, he de-committed, and opted to spend the 2019–20 season playing for Tri-City, where he finished the season with 33 points. He also earned an all-USHL first team selection, an honor bestowed on the best players in the league as determined by the votes of the league's general managers. He was once again called up to the United States junior team for the 2019 World Junior A Challenge where he had two goals and four assists in six games. In May 2020, Miller committed to play for the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team.
At the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Arizona Coyotes used their first pick, in the 4th round (111th overall), to select Miller. On October 29, 2020, the Coyotes renounced the draft rights to Miller. The next day, he was dropped from the University of North Dakota hockey team.
On November 4, 2022, Miller signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. The next day, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated that Miller was not eligible to play in the NHL, adding, "I can't tell you that he'll ever be eligible to come into the NHL."
On November 6, 2022, the Bruins parted ways with Miller following considerable pressure from fans and current Bruins players. The club stated it had severed ties with Miller, although he was still technically under contract with the Bruins at the time. As of December 23, 2022, he had earned over $116,000 from that contract.
In February of 2023, the Bruins reached an agreement with Miller that permanently ended his association with the club. Miller received an undisclosed sum of money and was granted free agency, under a condition of confidentiality. The existence of the deal was not reported to the public until July 2023 in a New York Post article, which also stated that Mitchell was expected to try to play for a team in Europe.
On August 2, 2023, Miller signed with MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš of the Slovak Extraliga.
Bullying incidents
In 2016, Miller and a classmate were found delinquent in an Ohio juvenile court on charges of assault and a violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act. The pair were accused and found guilty of deceiving a developmentally disabled African American classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, into eating a piece of candy that they had wiped in a urinal, repeated bullying of Meyer-Crothers, and repeatedly calling him a nigger. Surveillance video also captured them kicking and punching Meyer-Crothers.
The bullying incidents resurfaced after The Arizona Republic published an in-depth report on Miller on October 26, 2020. The Republic exposé also revealed that Miller would frequently use the words "nigger" and "BROWNIE" to refer to Meyer-Crothers and often told him to "go pick their cotton". The Coyotes initially defended Miller, citing their desire to "be a part of the solution in a real way" and to help Miller grow from this incident and eventually become a leader against bullying and racism. Although Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong did not draft Miller, he expressed the team's desire to provide Miller with a second chance.