Andrew Miller – A Prospect Of Interest?

These are dark days, but in dark days come lessons that lead to a brighter tomorrow. For the Oilers, right now they are learning. Todd Nelson has righted the ship to a degree, getting some key young players to perform at higher levels, and actually getting some wins out of this unit.

The most important thing? Nelson has begun turning prospects once thought to be done for into actual NHL players. Anton Lander, Oscar Klefbom and Martin Marincin have all become key parts of the team, while others have made their impact. One of those players is forward Andrew Miller, who scored his first NHL goal on Friday night, and now has three points in five games with Edmonton.

Will Andrew Miller ever be a franchise player, a real option in a top-six forward unit? The answer to that is likely no, probably not, but he is showing signs of maybe being a valuable depth option moving forward for a team. Miller isn’t big, he isn’t physical, but he is very smart, fast, and skilled.

Miller does a lot of things right. He’s a smart hockey player that knows where to be at all times. His hockey IQ is very high, and he makes the high percentage play a lot. It’s good fundamental hockey, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, which is obviously a good thing.

He doesn’t play a physical game, but he does add an element of speed to the mix, he’s a shifty forward that has a gear to him. He’s not skilled to the point where he can take over a game, but he has good play-making ability, evident by his feed to Martin Marincin last Wednesday night to set up MM’s first NHL goal.

Miller’s a pass first kind of player, a more skilled version of Mark Arcobello, who has carved himself a nice little role as a depth forward around the NHL this season. So far with Edmonton, Miller has fit in nicely with Anton Lander and Taylor Hall on the team’s third line.

Like I mentioned above, Miller has a nice little skill-set that translates into a depth forward at the NHL level. He’s a point-per game player in the AHL, and has shown improvement in his first two pro seasons. With his strong stint at the NHL level currently, the arrows are going up.

Miller has a chance here, because the Oiler roster will be a little open at the bottom next season. Obviously the wagon line of Hendricks, Gordon and Klinkhammer will be back, but one imagines the 13th/14th forward spots are open, and a third line wing spot is vacant barring an addition this summer.

Should Miller, who has proven himself in the minors and looked good through five NHL games, keep up his strong play, then the Oilers could give him a look come training camp next fall.

Again, I’m not saying Andrew Miller should be in the NHL next season, but he’s playing his way into the conversation as a training camp hopeful next year. He’s progressed nicely in OKC, and has looked good in his first NHL stint. Should he keep showing his play-making ability, he might carve out a little career for himself.

I’ve really enjoyed watching Andrew Miller play, his penalty shot goal on Friday was absolutely awesome, it almost took the roof off of Rexall. I’m rooting for the kid from Yale who many don’t believe has a chance. If Edmonton can develop another nice depth option, it’ll be a win for the much bashed scouting department.

I don’t think many people thought of Andrew Miller back in the fall when prospects were brought up, but I think people need to start remembering the name a little bit. For the first time in his pro career, I think we can really call Andrew Miller a prospect of interest for the Edmonton Oilers.