Bruins cut ties with prospect Miller amid criticism

Less than 3 days aft signing Mitchell Miller to an entry-level contract, the Boston Bruins announced Sunday they were cutting ties with the arguable prospect.

The determination to motion the 20-year-old defenseman drew aggravated disapproval from the infinitesimal the Bruins announced it Friday. Miller was antecedently a fourth-round draught prime by the Arizona Coyotes successful 2020. Shortly aft helium was drafted, a study by the Arizona Republic elaborate however Miller and different mediate schoolhouse classmate were convicted successful juvenile tribunal successful 2016 of racially abusing and bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, who is Black. In the report, Meyer-Crothers' parent said Miller started abusing her lad successful 2nd people portion besides utilizing repeated radical epithets.

Bruins president Cam Neely said successful a connection Sunday nighttime that the determination to motion Miller "was made aft cautious information of the facts arsenic we were alert of them." Neely said the squad believed Miller's maltreatment of Meyer-Crothers was "an isolated incident" and that Miller "had taken meaningful enactment to betterment and was committed to ongoing idiosyncratic development."

Neely said that "based connected caller information," the franchise decided to rescind the declaration fixed to Miller.

Neely besides said the Bruins would beryllium reevaluating their interior vetting process.

"To Isaiah and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and different victims consciousness unseen and unheard," Neely said. "We apologize for the heavy wounded and interaction we person caused."

Miller had his draught rights relinquished by the Coyotes little than a period aft helium was selected. He besides was released from his assistance astatine the University of North Dakota, wherever helium was enrolled arsenic a freshman.

He sat retired the 2020-21 play but began playing again successful 2021-22 with the USHL's Tri-City Storm. He finished tied for the league pb successful goals with 39 and had 83 points -- some single-season records for a defenseman -- successful 60 games. He was named the USHL's Defenseman of the Year and Player of the Year.

The Bruins initially planned to person Miller play for their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. On Saturday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was not consulted by the Bruins astir the signing and that Miller was "not eligible astatine this constituent to travel into the NHL." Bettman said the league yet would person to wide Miller to play portion besides saying helium would "need to spot a full clump of things" going forward.

Bruins guardant Nick Foligno said Saturday that it was "a pugnacious thing" for the squad to larn the enactment had signed Miller.

"I'm not going prevarication to you," Foligno said. "I don't deliberation immoderate feline was excessively blessed due to the fact that of however arrogant we are to accidental that this is simply a radical that cares a batch astir ourselves and however we transportation ourselves and however we dainty people."

Bruins skipper Patrice Bergeron said the civilization the squad has built goes against the benignant of behaviour Miller displayed. He said what Miller did was "unacceptable, and we don't basal by that."