Mitchell Miller (ice hockey)

Mitchell Miller (born December 20, 2001) is an American ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the University of North Dakota in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). He was drafted 111th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The Coyotes severed ties with Miller after his past conviction of bullying an developmentally disabled, African-American teen resurfaced.

Playing career
Starting in 2018, Miller played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League (USHL). During the season, he was called up to the United States men's national junior ice hockey team to play in the 2018 World Junior A Challenge. After the end of the USHL season, Miller was traded to the Tri-City Storm, where he finished the following season as an all-USHL first team selection. 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.

Miller originally committed to play for the Miami University men's ice hockey team for the 2019-20 season. However, he de-committed and instead 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 (111th overall) to select Miller. On October 29, 2020, the Coyotes renounced the draft rights to Miller. The following day the University of North Dakota would announce that Miller was no longer a member of the UND hockey team but could remain as a student.

Controversy
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 of forcing a developmentally disabled African American classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, to eat a piece of candy that they had wiped along the inside of a urinal. Surveillance video also captured them kicking and punching Meyer-Crothers.

The bullying incidents resurfaced after The Arizona Republic published an in-depth report on Miller on October 26, 2020. The Republic exposé also revealed that Miller would frequently use the "n-word" to refer to Meyer-Crothers. The Coyotes originally 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. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong defended Miller in a statement: "Mitchell sent a letter to every NHL team acknowledging what happened and apologizing for his behavior. Mitchell made a huge mistake, but we are providing him with a second chance to prove himself. We hope that he uses his platform moving forward to raise awareness about bullying and to discourage this type of behavior."

Despite apologizing to all thirty-one NHL teams, Miller never apologized to the Meyer-Crothers family according to the Republic. As a result of the exposé, the Coyotes received widespread criticism for drafting Miller. This ultimately led to the Coyotes renouncing their draft rights to Miller and have cut all ties with him.