College Draft Prospect: JT Miller

via nhl.com

JT Miller has been one of the NTDP’s most dependable players this year, putting up 15 goals and 50 points in 56 games. A lot of his point totals may be inflated by getting to play with the more dynamic Rocco Grimaldi, but at the most recent U-18 worlds it was Miller who led the United States, who won gold, in scoring.

Miller’s offensive game isn’t very refined. He prefers a north-south power game vs. the shiftier moves that Grimaldi prefers. He doesn’t have the best hands, though he is an adequate stick handler and has games where he is much better than others. He also doesn’t finish terribly well. Ideally I think his best offensive spot at North Dakota next year will be planting himself in front of the net and causing problems, like he did when the NTDP played at UND this past winter.

Miller has a tough, hard nosed game and he can play very physically. If a team thinks he can play both physically and not take any of his offense off the table, I think he’ll go relatively high. But even if he doesn’t develop the offensive game he can still be a dependable second line center.

While I think you could justify him going in the top 15, maybe 14 if Dallas wants to try to replace the deparding Brad Richards (though they are obviously different players) I think he will slip into the 20s and my official guess will be Ottawa at 21.