He arrived at Madison Square Garden in February 2013, just over a month before his 20th birthday, seeing time as the fourth-line center for the Rangers. J.T. Miller, a big, fast-skating kid from the “hockey hotbed” of Ohio, had been the organization’s first-round pick, 15th overall, the year before.
He showed promise in 26 games that first season, along with plenty of the hiccups expected from a player that age who was raw and learning how to conduct himself as a pro on the sport’s highest level.
The difference with Miller, though, is that he didn’t get all the bumps out of the way early, and things have tended to be eventful for him since.