Prospect Info: K'Andre Miller (D) - Part III

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yeah. I get the sense Miller is more like a young Staal.

Eh. Closer to Clendening stylistically. I don't think Miller has the physicality Staal brought to the game at that age

 

[egelband]

Eh. Closer to Clendening stylistically. I don't think Miller has the physicality Staal brought to the game at that age

Well that’s not very promising. I thought Miller was good at clogging the neutral zone. No?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Well that’s not very promising. I thought Miller was good at clogging the neutral zone. No?

I didn't say Miller has the same ceiling as Clendening.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

The key to our success is the maturation of Miller and Jones on the back end. If those two pan out we are well on our way.

 

[Leetch3]

The key to our success is the maturation of Miller and Jones on the back end. If those two pan out we are well on our way.

put Robertsson into that group too

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

put Robertsson into that group too

Yeah, if I have to rank them based on ceiling/upside, it's:

1. Miller
2. Robertson
3. Jones

If I have to rank them based on likelihood of reaching their ceiling:

1. Robertson
2. Jones
3. Miller

I think Robertson is a really good prospect and our left side can look great in a few years

 

[BKGooner]

The big thing is going to be finding who complements who the best in a group that could be 8 deep at D.Is miller a good fit with Trouba or is he better clogging up the the neutral zone and letting D'Angelo get back in plays. Is Robertson a more efficient partner for Fox? Can Lundkvist make someone else expendable? The only thing for sure right now is that Trouba is here for a while and making bank doing it. If we kept Miller in Hartford for like 3 or 4 seasons, but it turned him into an all-star or near all-star level player would that be so bad? Give Larry Robertson a house on a golf course in Connecticut just to turn K' into a beast.

 

[Kovalev27]

I just watched him blow a wrist shot no traffic in front clear past hank from above the point and clang it off the post. He’s got a heavy shot I think the speed of the NHL game is going to be a much more comfortable fit for him.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Yeah. I get the sense Miller is more like a young Staal.

Better comparison than Skjei in the sense that young Staal actually used to defend the NZ well.

I think Miller is more comfortable with the puck on his stick (though I'd call neither a natural) and hes a billion times more athletic.

Hoping for a LH Parayko but hes got a ways to go to get there.

 

[romba]

I just watched him blow a wrist shot no traffic in front clear past hank from above the point and clang it off the post. He’s got a heavy shot I think the speed of the NHL game is going to be a much more comfortable fit for him.

Where did you see this?

 

[Kovalev27]

Where did you see this?

Vince posted it

 

[romba]

Must have missed it, thanks

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I just watched him blow a wrist shot no traffic in front clear past hank from above the point and clang it off the post. He’s got a heavy shot I think the speed of the NHL game is going to be a much more comfortable fit for him.

I think you mean from above the circles but yeah, that puck was on and off of his stick in a hurry.

 

[UnSandvich]

Well that’s not very promising. I thought Miller was good at clogging the neutral zone. No?

From everything I've seen and heard, he's really good at breaking up plays at the blue-line, but struggles (sometimes significantly) with his in-zone defense. If he was as good at that as he was his blue-line play, he'd be on track to be a similar player to prime Marc Staal, with more offense

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

From everything I've seen and heard, he's really good at breaking up plays at the blue-line, but struggles (sometimes significantly) with his in-zone defense. If he was as good at that as he was his blue-line play, he'd be on track to be a similar player to prime Marc Staal, with more offense

If he was as good in his own end as he is outside of it, he would be playing with the team right now eating major minutes next to Trouba or DeAngelo.

The Clendo comparison makes no sense from a stylistic standpoint. Clendo was an undersized and slow PMD. K'Andre is long, agile and has more of a rounded skill set. DZ entry prevention and OZ controlled entries are his greatest strengths (he was like off the charts in these areas compared to his teammates at Wisconsin and on the NTDP) where as Clendening could run a PP and move a puck, but that was about it. K'Andre is going to have a much, much easier time along the walls/in front of the net than Clendo did.

The Entry prevention is the #1 quality I want a defensive D man to have these days. I'm not saying in zone coverage isn't important, it obviously is, but most shifts start on the fly and I'd rather have a guy who is disrupting the opposition before they have a chance to set up shop than a guy who is positionally sound in his own end and will allow them to walk in - A ton of things can go wrong in the latter example even if said player doesn't make any mistakes where as it's really hard to score from outside of the blue line.

 

[egelband]

The Entry prevention is the #1 quality I want a defensive D man to have these days. I'm not saying in zone coverage isn't important, it obviously is, but most shifts start on the fly and I'd rather have a guy who is disrupting the opposition before they have a chance to set up shop than a guy who is positionally sound in his own end and will allow them to walk in - A ton of things can go wrong in the latter example even if said player doesn't make any mistakes where as it's really hard to score from outside of the blue line.

I agree and I think this is what DQ is trying to do. Obviously they make their share of mistakes but i see the defense making an effort to stand up at the opponents blue line. Maybe it’s a version of the neutral zone trap. I’m not knowledgeable enough to make any call on that. But it’s certainly putting pressure on opponents quickly.

 

[Chytilmania]

I agree and I think this is what DQ is trying to do. Obviously they make their share of mistakes but i see the defense making an effort to stand up at the opponents blue line. Maybe it’s a version of the neutral zone trap. I’m not knowledgeable enough to make any call on that. But it’s certainly putting pressure on opponents quickly.

We all know how bad the Rangers have played in their own zone the past few years. It's in our best interest to get better at standing up at the blue line.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

We all know how bad the Rangers have played in their own zone the past few years. It's in our best interest to get better at standing up at the blue line.

They've sucked at both since Torts left TBH. It's gotten worse since 2015 but even when this team was good, these things weren't their strong suit. The goals against numbers were excellent, but we can thank prime Hank for that.

Giving up the blue line was an AV thing and its how Ruff has handled business too. My hope is that who ever coaches the D after this season preaches more NZ pressure. It got better as the year went on, but I wouldn't classify it as good.

 

[Leetch3]

If he was as good in his own end as he is outside of it, he would be playing with the team right now eating major minutes next to Trouba or DeAngelo.

The Clendo comparison makes no sense from a stylistic standpoint. Clendo was an undersized and slow PMD. K'Andre is long, agile and has more of a rounded skill set. DZ entry prevention and OZ controlled entries are his greatest strengths (he was like off the charts in these areas compared to his teammates at Wisconsin and on the NTDP) where as Clendening could run a PP and move a puck, but that was about it. K'Andre is going to have a much, much easier time along the walls/in front of the net than Clendo did.

The Entry prevention is the #1 quality I want a defensive D man to have these days. I'm not saying in zone coverage isn't important, it obviously is, but most shifts start on the fly and I'd rather have a guy who is disrupting the opposition before they have a chance to set up shop than a guy who is positionally sound in his own end and will allow them to walk in - A ton of things can go wrong in the latter example even if said player doesn't make any mistakes where as it's really hard to score from outside of the blue line.

keeping the puck out of your zone in the first place and being able to quickly move the puck out of the zone so it doesn't stay there are definitely 2 great ways to limit any flaws in the defensive zone...

and shesterkin's puck handling skills should only help with allowing the d to be aggressive holding the blueline...but its not just about the blueliners, we need the forwards to be better and help more too

 

[Kocur Dill]

we need Miller to pan out more than we need Lundkvist though. We already have Fox and TDA. Our left side is GARBAGE. Plus we need size. But if they both pan out that would be nice, will soften the blow of when Kravtsov busts

If NYR doesnt send Robertson packing for top 6 help, I can see him being an under the radar LD that sticks in our top 4 for quite a few years.

I think he's the one prospect that gets overlooked and would be the darling of this board of we didn't have Miller, Lundkvist, Shestyorkin, Fox, to drool over plus the Emo Twins we cant figure out yet.

He's literally buried on the back burner cuz of our depth.

 

[Leetch3]

If NYR doesnt send Robertson packing for top 6 help, I can see him being an under the radar LD that sticks in our top 4 for quite a few years.

I think he's the one prospect that gets overlooked and would be the darling of this board of we didn't have Miller, Lundkvist, Shestyorkin, Fox, to drool over plus the Emo Twins we cant figure out yet.

He's literally buried on the back burner cuz of our depth.

there are some of us fully on the robertson train

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

there are some of us fully on the robertson train

It would not surprise me if, in 2-3 years, Robertson and Jones are playing more meaningful minutes than Miller. As talented as Miller is, the other two are more likely to hit their ceilings IMO

 

[egelband]

We all know how bad the Rangers have played in their own zone the past few years. It's in our best interest to get better at standing up at the blue line.

Yes. I'm looking for them to be standing up at the opponent's blue line. Stop them from starting their attack.

 

[Kocur Dill]

there are some of us fully on the robertson train

Guess I should have read the previous 20ish posts. Derp.

 

[Trxjw]

K'Andre is a tough guy to draw comparisons with. When you consider his athleticism and combine it with the fact that he's still relatively new to the position there are just so many paths he could take. However, if I had to put money on it, I would put him more in the vein of a Dougie Hamilton than Marc Staal. Not necessarily ceiling-wise but stylistically speaking. I don't see him being a natural shutdown type as the best parts of his game come in transition and in the offensive zone.

At his best, I think he's going to be a guy who excels at breaking up plays in the neutral zone and denying zone entries. He may suffer a bit if he gets hemmed in his own end. I also see him better suited as a partner for a Fox or Lundkvist type than Trouba. Someone who is calm and nimble with the puck and can bail them out of tight situations.