J.T. Miller | #9 | C/W

[HKSR]

Since Bo has left, Miller has gone 31 wins and 24 losses on the faceoff dot for a combined 56.3% winning percentage.

 

You know what they say, practice makes perfect.  Wouldn't surprise me to see that % climb further as Miller becomes the main faceoff guy for this club.

[-AJ-]

47 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Since Bo has left, Miller has gone 31 wins and 24 losses on the faceoff dot for a combined 56.3% winning percentage.

 

You know what they say, practice makes perfect.  Wouldn't surprise me to see that % climb further as Miller becomes the main faceoff guy for this club.

It's bizarre though, because Miller had 59.2% in his first year in Vancouver. He's already shown excellence in the dot in the past, but he's not been as good since. He has been a lot better since the start of the year there though.

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

Just now, -AJ- said:

It's bizarre though, because Miller had 59.2% in his first year in Vancouver. He's already shown excellence in the dot in the past, but he's not been as good since. He has been a lot better since the start of the year there though.

I'd wonder how many he is taking on his strong side vs weak side.

 

I remember a few years back he would always go on his weak side and slap the puck which funny enough became his strong side draw.

[Diamonds]

4 minutes ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

I'd wonder how many he is taking on his strong side vs weak side.

 

I remember a few years back he would always go on his weak side and slap the puck which funny enough became his strong side draw.

He has a very unorthodox faceoff style which I'm sure throws some other centers off. I'm not sure he will get back to a consistent 57%+ faceoff wins as his style no longer has the shock value, but he should probably still be a consistent mid-50's guy (53-56% range) which is good enough. 

[Ballisticsports.]

5 minutes ago, Muttley said:

 

 

I know we get upset at JTM lack of leaving the zone, Pavel was such a dynamic player, but rarely went near his own blueline, and waiting for the long bomb pass

I doubt Pavel was on for many more goals than he was on for though and JTM is probably close to Pavel like that too

It is why the Gretzky, Crosby, Robinson's are everyone else

When you control play in the opposition zone more than your own

when you score more 5v5 than your opponent does is huge

Scoring highlight goals is great entertainment as long as your other shifts  don't hurt the team

 

Like if a player could skate all the way through a team and take high risk shots that sometimes ,scores, but sometimes goes off the boards and the other team scores (rather than passing to a open guy in front- I remember Bure guilty of this many times because he always wanted the goal himself, and people calling him a goal hog- that wears thin on teammates after a while)

or a defenceman who has a hard shot from the point and sometimes scores, but mostly tries to put it through a forwards shins and gives up a breakaway

 

Scoring goals is always nice, as long as you are positive on the ice and in the room

 

[Phat Fingers]

JT Miller, 

 

 

Proud to have had you in our colours.

 

Good luck on your cup run in Pittsburgh. 
 

Hope you and your family are doing well, and are safe, so too is your home town of East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailed about 10 days ago.

 

that’s my take, and I think that McGuin, Marcus Pettersson and picks (Pits 1st) and Hronek is a fantastic return JT and Bo, plus cap dump and or salary retained on JT Miller.  
 

the details, but bet I am very close to bang on…

 

it’s a prediction and a last post or guess.

 

phat Phingers.

[Phat Fingers]

Sorry oops,

 

also Belleveau and whole bunch of picks and Raty.

 

that’s a heck of a haul and I predict that JT is a penguin this week.  

[KirkSave]

Miller has been a difference maker since Bo has been dealt. Seems to have found his A game as of late.

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, KirkSave said:

Miller has been a difference maker since Bo has been dealt. Seems to have found his A game as of late.

Agreed. He's been much better. Makes me feel a bit better about his contract.

[-DLC-]

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/jt-miller-game-turns-corner-under-rick-tocchet

 

A good read on JT.

 

Quote

‘I think I'm playing hard and simple and you know, really since Rick’s (Tocchet) got here, I think I’ve simplified my game,’ says the veteran centre

 

[DownUndaCanuck]

I was very critical of JT at the start of the year (and deservedly so) when he made so many sloppy defensive plays and Green or Bruce never punished him for it. Looks like Tocchet is not letting him get away with that rubbish anymore. I think it's a combination of Rick's structure, Bo leaving and most importantly - playing with and learning from Petey which has improved his game. You see him cheat occasionally offensively but they're far more high percentage plays. His forecheck is on time now and he's limited the dumb no-look passes which could be risky. I think Petey's defensive positioning is rubbing off on Miller too and he's reading the play better defensively. When the two were out on the ice they were havoc for the Senators on the forecheck and just fought so much harder than them to win the puck on the forecheck.

 

I'm still not thrilled with the length of his deal and would have rather built around Bo and Petey just purely due to age and keeping our core young, but Miller has performed really well which bodes well for next season. He's been PPG the last 10-12 games which is great but if he's even a 60-70 point player next year and remains good defensively like he is now, he's worth his money.

[BlakeQuinnAndEggs]

Our next captain. That will stop all the trade rumors. I think Petey should just focus on scoring, I'd rather have an older captain.

[boziffous]

Miller has 7 shorthanded points in the last 9 games! I wonder what the record is over a 10 game span.

[-DLC-]

A little early, but I'll be working all day so....

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JT! MY VERY FAVOURITE PLAYER (DUH) 

 

Over the hill, all washed up, ready for the retirement home, blahblahblah.  Hell no, he's just getting started. I'm glad some of the naysayers are joining the party and seeing how important this guy is to our team.

 

Glad we have him long term...he's just what this team needs. He signed on with loyalty and commitment here, let's hope they honour that (I think they will, he'd leave a big hole to fill). JT's transparent, full of integrity, driven and has a real passion for the game. A good family man and what you see is what you get. He puts it all out there and that's commendable. Some people don't like his "moodiness" but he's an open book and there's no guesswork involved. Captain material. I feel like he's brought a much needed dynamic to this team...we're changing that well documented softness and getting a little edgier. He's a true leader on this team and anyone who can't see that needs glasses.

 

Anyhow, no secret who my very favourite player is these days. I've always been drawn to players who are all heart and care about this game (like I do). Who don't pull any punches (but can throw them if need be). Also helps when they're witty, funny, and well spoken....Trevor, Bure, Bieksa, Burr. Now there's another new jersey hanging in the closet...

 

 

[Alflives]

9 minutes ago, Muttley said:

 

30

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, Muttley said:

Tocchet himself has acknowledged the similarities between himself and Miller, specifically noting that he was also an emotional player. So, I showed Tocchet the above chart and asked him about those similarities and how Miller can perhaps avoid the downward slope after the age of 30.

“Whoa. It’s interesting to see that,” said Tocchet, but chuckled as he said, “I think Millsy has a little bit more talent than I had; I had to do other things to get my points. I think Millsy is a very smart hockey player. But I see similarities, for sure. He wears his heart on his sleeve.”

"He can play four, five, six strong years."

Tocchet does think that Miller can avoid a similar decline in the coming years primarily because of his health.

“Mine was more my back issues,” said Tocchet, who at one point had to undergo back surgery. “He doesn’t have major problems, which makes me excited because he can play four, five, six strong years because he’s that type.”

It is an interesting point to note that Miller has been largely healthy throughout his career, which should extend his best years.

[-DLC-]

59 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

It is an interesting point to note that Miller has been largely healthy throughout his career, which should extend his best years.

You forgot *knock on wood*

 

JT is one of those guys who seemingly leads a good life and fitness is part of that. So there's no reason to think he'll have a sudden drastic decline. Gradual over time....sure. But he does so many things that I'm sure we'll get good mileage out of him. Players in their 30's are having some great success and it's no longer a matter of guys who drink a six pack  and have a smoke before the game...these guys have optimal training and diet programs.

[Phat Fingers]

With JT Miller back at Center, his production and line driving and defensive play has been like his play of last year.

 

we played Petey, Miller and Horvat all at center last year for good chunks. 
 

JT got paid for that reason.

 

This year Bruce switched it back to JT Miller at LW and Bo and Petey at center with cannon fodder beneath that.

 

Horvat has been great, but he was never a line driver as much as a finisher.

 

So is why Alvin and Ruthford did not pick Bo over JT?  
 

Is JT’s entire game better because his minutes are higher and he is playing in the Center of the Ice, where he can pass or shoot with equal measure.  
 

JT’s wingers do better than Bo’s did.  
 

JT has decent face off numbers.

 

whatever is the reason for the dramatic difference between JT pre Bo and JT post Bo, I think simply that JT was frustrated that he was bumped from Center Ice, when he is a better Center than Bo. 
 

or so it could be argued.

 

it looks that way in the sample sizes from last season and this season when JT is at Center vs LW.

 

Thoughts? 
 

Was Bo a Kessler like player that just didn’t have the same overall vision of JT in play making, which also can translate into takeaways vs giveaways etc…?
 

Petey is in Selke talk.  The Short Handed Goals have been up significantly since the trade. 
 

This is also because the team seems to love RT and his fantastic approach.  
 

Seriously, I can understand why Alvin and Rutherford wanted RT for so long and were critical of the lack of structure in Bruce’s approach.

 

If they were not going to resign Bo which they weren’t and their offer was not serious.  Or they gave what they thought his max value was as a statement to the club and coach.  
 

But if they had targeted Hronek even in Pits, and Stevie Y called them first, and only them.  Could the pre buying price of Hronek already been determined prior to the Bo trade to Long Island?

 

So really this trade could be a slow 3 way… (lol) with Van, the Islanders and Wings with a 1st for Hornet for Bo.  

 

And a 2nd for AB, Raty, and a 4th.   

 

one, there was no way RT was walking into a situation that wasn’t resolved yet.

 

With Demko injured, the season was pooched almost from day one.

 

and then there is the Bruce vs Rick debate.

 

Lol… just like the eighties…

 

But there are three major changes and we have just gotten the first look at Hronek.

 

we are getting a decent first rounder that could easily be a RHD….please Riechbacher (sp?) and trade away one of the two Garland of Brock.  Take a loss and use the cap dump to address positional problems in FA, NCAA or Euro FA.  
 

Brock is a legit 20g man with some better playmaking and his tough love in Vancouver is forcing him to work harder.

 

plenty of places he could easily recover his production and give any second line a shooter and or play maker, and or PP guy.  
 

he is just not a line driver.  But his is proven and now that he has felt the harder part of playing in Vancouver, a less intense market would be good for him,

 

he looks pale, maybe some sun would do him some good.

 

Ramble Ramble.

 

Glad to see JT turn it around.

 

with that shit early in the year, I was all for shipping him to pits.  
 

I am certain that his strange pre trade ‘week to week’ status was due to the train incident in the middle of his home town, one hour from Pits, in Ohio.

 

So if there is a guy to sign to a 8m deal, sign a US guy that loves Ohio… Columbus would love to have a guy like JT at anytime.

 

lol. 

 

phats.

 

 

 

 

Haven’t been around for a while.
 

laid up at home on Buscapan to help with long term muscle spasms in my abdomen that have put my into Acute Pancretitis and the hospital a few times.

 

thought I was possibly dying because my abdo pain was for months and the local hospital refused to even consider my physical state, or symptoms, called me ‘psycho somatic’ because they did not want to relate my injures suffered I at the hands of the Local RCMP and my Employer EHS NS (I have an active human rights complaint that the NS Human Rights Commission won’t even respond to against my employer) the ambulance service, injured my pelvis when they body slammed me without cause or provocation within 60-90 seconds of me coming to the door in sock feet pants and tee shirt.  This was on 2022-.09.15
 

then after two RCMP officers slam me onto my right hip, I am lying at their feet, and the shorter one, says, ‘Don’t Flee! Tazer! Tazer! Tazer!’ And shoots my in my left hip with one barb as I dodged him aiming the Tazer directly at my groin.

 

After tazing I rolled over and was completely compliant and they cuffed me without locking the cuffs twice, cutting off my circulation to both hands for 4-5 fours while I was bound behind my back after I had my right SI joint ‘Un Fused’ as I had been diagnosed with Fused SI joints in 2020, and a curved spine, from right to left and ribs dislocated on the right, I felt my left arm pop out of its socket and back in and from that point on, I have become barely able to walk and or work at all.  

 

the local RCMP in Antigonish NS got caught by me, fudging paperwork that my ex and my exes supper connected attorney have been using against me for two years.  Last year they arrested my girlfriend who has suffered a brutal home invasion and sexual assault 5 weeks prior, for drinking in her car, she relapsed into Acohol after the assault,  she is a Mental Health RN.

 

then in cells after a male officer strip searched her by himself, then when she thought she was being released, he struck her 28 times.  I have the images and after I got him suspended, the cops came for me.

 

that’s why I got beaten up on 2022-09-15.  They also locked me in the local Prison in Solitary for 72 hours, for walking on my shared property with my ex that we are selling after my ex lawyer said there was no court order against it.

 

no person was home.

 

I was on the property for 3 minutes and left.  Touched nothing, did not even approach the home.

 

15 minutes later, I got beat down.  I had no reason to avoid the cameras so I did not.  
 

It has gotten so bad that I have got the Husband of the Family Court Justice, the Chief Crown Prosecutor and his Jr Crown Prosecution all failing to adhere  to his wife, the Justices issued court orders, with the RCMP to allow me to charged 25 times criminally to what was only a non criminal court order breach and subject to a fine only.

 

a Facebook message to my ex after our split as a self litigator when seeking to get her and legal counsel to a private mediation.  
 

no threats or crimes committed.

 

after the first charge, every subsequent charge and or order was solely issued through an abuse of the. ‘victim service’ support by her local friends and family that live all around me as I am holed up in a home with my parents who moved out from BC to be with their grand daughter.

 

shit show.

the Justice had to recuse and the local Crown has tried everything it could too.

 

I was an advanced Care paramedic when this started.

 

Now I live in NS and am so injured I am on social assistance, when I should be working and having a side gig of building houses while being an awesome dad to a fantastic smart beautiful daughter.

 

but I did not grown up here and will never be a local.

 

I will heal.  Super good at that and never ran from a fight in my life.

 

wish me luck,

 

Phats.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Phat Fingers

[-AJ-]

Pettersson and Miller have both tied the record for shorthanded points with 9 (set by Bure, later tied by Bure again and by Courtnall). I'd love to see if one of them can break the big tie!