Mitchell Miller

Mitchell Miller (born December 20, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted 111th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL entry draft, but the Coyotes renounced the rights to him 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 after two days following intense backlash. 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, after it emerged that he had repeatedly subjected a disabled black classmate to extreme bullying throughout multiple years of grade school. 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 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 HK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš of the Slovak Extraliga. He played 19 games in Slovakia before signing with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he is under contract through the 2026–27 season.

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 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. This ultimately led to the Coyotes renouncing their draft rights to Miller and cutting all ties with him. A day later, Miller was dropped from the University of North Dakota's hockey team as well. According to UND president Andrew Armacost, school officials and Miller's family mutually agreed that Miller should no longer be on the team.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2017–18 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2018–19 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 48 4 12 16 20 6 0 0 0 2 2019–20 Tri-City Storm USHL 44 8 25 33 40 — — — — — 2021–22 Tri-City Storm USHL 60 39 44 83 75 5 2 3 5 4 2023–24 MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš Slovak 19 6 23 29 12 — — — — — 2023–24 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 32 3 10 13 8 5 0 3 3 0 2024–25 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 41 3 18 21 22 13 4 9 13 8 2025–26 Ak Bars Kazan KHL 67 20 27 47 16 20 7 16 23 2 KHL totals 140 26 55 81 46 38 11 28 39 10

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2018 United States HG18 5 0 5 5 2 Junior totals 5 0 5 5 2 Source: