The Boston Bruins announced on Sunday evening that the team has decided to part ways with defenseman Mitchell Miller, days after signing the former 2020 fourth-round pick to a three-year entry-level contract.
“The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: that at 14 years old he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction,” said Bruins president Cam Neely in a statement on Sunday.
“We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding we offered him a contract.”
Knowledge of Miller’s criminal past and his acts of racial, physical, and mental abuse towards his victim, a developmentally disabled former classmate, spanning a period of multiple years had been widely known since Miller was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2020 NHL draft.
The Coyotes would ultimately renounce Miller’s rights just days following his selection as word of his actions spread throughout the hockey world. Additionally, the Bruins had also admitted that they did not reach out to the NHL or the family of Miller’s victim during their vetting process of him prior to the signing, which is likely where this “new information” would have been revealed.
Now, just two days after handing Miller the largest amount of term, average annual salary, and performance bonuses allowed in a contract for a player his age, the Bruins will be the second NHL organization to part ways with him.
The fallout from this decision is far from over.
