Sceptres' Hannah Miller could be joining Team Canada for upcoming worlds
Article content
Hannah Miller, the leading scorer in the PWHL has had plenty of reasons to smile this season, but there may yet be one more coming.
Miller, 29, who accepted an invitation to play for China at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022 was thought to have closed the door on future play for her native Canada.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Sceptres' Hannah Miller could be joining Team Canada for upcoming worlds Back to video
But according to national women’s team head coach Troy Ryan — who also happens to be Miller’s bench boss with the Sceptres — a petition has been submitted to the IIHF to allow the North Vancouver native to represent Canada again as she did as a young woman at the 2012 and 2013 under-18 world championships.
It’s by no means a lock, but Ryan remains optimistic the petition will be granted.
“There’s definitely a possibility,’ Ryan said. “The request, or the proposal, is in the IIHF’s hands and, from what I understand, I think it would be highly possible that it would be approved, that she could compete for Canada and then today, tonight, tomorrow we’ll be discussing whether she fits into that mix if she were to be eligible for this world championship.
“If she is not eligible for this, or if we don’t feel she fits, but was made available, I think we would always consider her for a mini-centralization heading into the next phase,” he said. “I think she deserves to be in that conversation and if the IIHF makes her available we will take that next step.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The Canadian women’s team roster for the world championships in Czechia next month is expected to be announced in the next couple of days so time is of the essence, but the ball right now is in the IIHF’s hands.
Ryan believes one of three scenarios will likely play out.
“One, we just don’t name her and wait,” Ryan said. “Another is we name her because it’s been approved; and I think yet another scenario is we name her, even though she’s not approved and then we wait and, when she’s approved or not approved, we decide to add someone else. Those are the three we are juggling right now.”
Through 22 games this season Miller has 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points which is tied for the league lead with Georgetown native and New York Sirens’ rookie Sarah Fillier.
Miller’s breakout season has seen her flourish on the Sceptres power play where her heavy shot and pinpoint accuracy have moved it to a level none of its opponents have come close to matching.
“There has been some growth from last year and she deserves all the credit for that,” Ryan said. “She just seems to be in a comfortable place. She’s confident within her role on this team. She’s comfortable in the league. This league is good for her where it’s a good mix of offence and defence.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“She’s a strong, powerful presence that can play the middle or the wing so she’s versatile. I think she’s found a comfortable place on the power play that plays right into her strengths.”
Not bad for someone who was a 13th-round pick in the inaugural PWHL draft, though Ryan said her place in that draft had little to do with her actual skill level.
“I think the late pick is more out of sight, out of mind,” Ryan said of Miller who was still playing in China at the time. “It was like, does she want to come back? She had an option. She could stay in China so there was some risk there. (Based on) talent and the person she is, I don’t think she was a 13th-round pick. She ended up there because of her scenario.”
Toronto, though, benefitted from some knowledge the other five teams in the league didn’t necessarily have. Both Ryan and GM Gina Kingsbury, who holds the same role with the national team, had previously seen Miller at Hockey Canada camps leading up to her under-18 world championships.
Ryan believes Kingsbury even coached Miller before that at a prep school. So while they may have been as in the dark as the rest of the league about her willingness to return to Canada, the Sceptres were comfortable gambling a 13th-round pick to find out.
And now they may be spending even more time with her as Hockey Canada works to get her back into the colours of her native country.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.