J.T. Miller has been on the Vancouver Canucks for five seasons, but in some ways, it feels much longer.
The forward has had his fair share of ups and downs in the local market and could once have been described as a highly polarizing figure. That all changed this past season.
Miller put up a career-best 37 goals and 103 points while maturing into the emotional leader of a Canucks team that far overachieved expectations. He converted even the strongest of doubters in the fanbase along the way.
š£ļø J.T. MILLER
š£ļø J.T. MILLER
š£ļø J.T. MILLER pic.twitter.com/4xhVThtmPFā Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 17, 2024
While some onlookers may describe the past 12 months as a maturation for the American-born forward, heās not so quick to characterize it that way.
āI really do believe itās a fine line,ā explained Miller at the teamās year-end exit interviews. āYou know, when youāre winning, my emotion is accepted, and when youāre losing, it is certainly not. Thatās why I downplay it.ā
āI am who I am and I just think what comes to mind is the staff here has helped me embrace who I am instead of run from it. Itās good that I kinda wear my heart on my sleeve and am a little louder but help me channel it and itās like not like āhey, donāt be this guy.’ā
āI donāt look into it that much. Iām just trying to do my job and if I do my job it gives our team a better chance of winning and if everyone does that, I just think it makes everybody look better.ā
The new coaching staff, which arrived last January, helped Miller and a large number of other players get the most out of their performances.
The centre not only set new personal records offensively but also became the outspoken leader for a group that needed one.
Next season will be the second year of Millerās massive contract extension. Heāll face a new challenge in taking this team from qualifying for the playoffs to contending for the Stanley Cup.
āAt the end of the day we have a really good hockey team and we have a lot of good qualities and these opportunities just donāt come around very often,ā he said. āIāve learned that over the years in my career. I was spoiled with playoff hockey as a kid then all of a sudden you go five years without it and then Iām 31 years old.ā
āWhen you look at it like that, things happen quickly. That is going to be a challenge, not taking it for granted and raising the bar again because we can feel good about what we did this year, but at the end of the day, we still lost like you said.ā
āFor me, it makes me want to work even harder knowing that we were a goal or two away from final four, so itās going to be a good test for us.ā
The Canucks roster will likely look very different next season. One thing that wonāt change is the massive burden placed upon Millerās shoulders. Heāll once again be expected to be a top-tier shutdown centre, an offensive engine, and the power play leader all at the same time.
Itās a big ask, but he proved heās up for it this season. The Canucks will need a repeat performance from Miller if they hope to take another step forward.