Friday, August 8, 2014

Buckeye Newcomer Spotlight: Kevin Miller

Impressive Forward Going to Find Success With OSU

Photo Credit: ajhl.ca


Kevin Miller – Forward, Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)
Stony Plain, AB
5'11 / 182 lbs
DOB: July 27, 1994
Shoots: Left


After the termination of Mark Osiecki following the 2012-2013 season, Steve Rohlik was left with the arduous task of bringing in recruits after several of Osiecki's top recruits decommitted.

Don't forget that selling an oversized college hockey arena and having to travel down the street for practice isn't an easy thing to do either.

Due to the departure of OSU's top two offensive players from last season (Ryan Dzingel and Max McCormick), a few more players were brought into the mix for the upcoming season as well.

Nevertheless, here we are.

Not only has the Buckeye hockey program survived, but it has thrived in arguably the toughest conference in the country.

Thus, we have reached the final men's player of this summer's “Buckeye Newcomer Spotlight” series.



Miller was fourth on Fort McMurray with 21 goals last season
Photo Credit: meridianbooster.com
Rounding things out is the pride of Stony Plain, Alberta, Kevin Miller.

He, along with freshman classmate Nick Jones, will be the fifth and sixth Buckeyes on the roster to represent Alberta as well as the AJHL next season.

The other four representatives are sophomores Josh Healey and Matt Tomkins, junior Sam Jardine, and recently named captain, senior Tanner Fritz.

Miller had a tremendous season last year for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

The star forward racked up 21 goals along with 33 assists in 56 games this past season. His 54 points placed him third on the team.

Fort McMurray came within one win of reaching the Gas Cup Drive Final series and Miller had a lot to do with it. Kevin led the team in scoring with 10 goals and seven assists in 17 playoff games.

His coach with the Oil Barons, Gord Thibodeau, had fantastic remarks about his Buckeye-bound forward.

“He's a very skilled hockey player. Offensively he does a lot of things with his vision skill that guys just can't do at this level. Ohio State sees him as a top-six contributor at some point in their program. He's been an all-around player for us this year but the thing that stands out is his ability to create offense. I think he's seventh in the league in scoring (as of Dec. 3) which is quite an accomplishment for a 19-year-old.” (Spruce Grove Examiner)

One thing that's important to note is that Miller chose Ohio State despite offers from other schools.

Rohlik and co. stepped up to the plate to give him an offer too good to refuse.

Miller stated, “Ohio State was the most prestigious of the three. I've heard great things about their school, it's world-class and their hockey program is excellent from what I've heard and it already has some players from Alberta on it.” (Spruce Grove Examiner)

The young forward may need some time to find his role on this team, or he may emerge as Nick Schilkey did in his freshman year. Only time will tell.

Steve Rohlik and his staff did an impressive job given some of the circumstances in the past year and a half.

New recruits and a new season await the promising OSU hockey program.

Without a doubt, it's going to be a fun team to watch.

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