Jonathan Tanner Miller (born March 14, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward and captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Rangers in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2011 NHL entry draft. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks.
Miller was born on March 14, 1993, in East Palestine, Ohio. He was enrolled in the East Palestine City School District and attended public school from kindergarten through 10th grade. He began playing ice hockey at a young age and also participated in other organized athletics, including baseball and football. Miller played for several ice hockey teams from the age of five through 12 before ending up with the Pittsburgh Hornets from age 12 to age 16, as at the time his family was living in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis. Miller played in the 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Pittsburgh Hornets minor ice hockey team.
Miller began the 2009–10 season with the U.S. NTDP of the United States Hockey League (USHL). After two seasons playing in the program, he was selected in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2011 NHL entry draft by the New York Rangers. The following day, Miller signed a contract to play major junior ice hockey with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Since Miller was drafted by the Rangers from the USHL, he was eligible to join their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Connecticut Whale, as a teenager. He joined the Whale for their run in the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs once his first major junior season concluded. He recorded his first professional point, an assist, in the Whale's Game 1 3–2 overtime win against the Norfolk Admirals. He finished the AHL postseason with one goal over eight games. After the Whale were eliminated, Miller was added to the Rangers roster for the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs but did not play a single game.
Miller returned to the Whale for their training camp before the start of their 2012–13 season. As one of the youngest players in the league, Miller started the season with three assists over three games. He also registered three goals and four assists through a seven-game span between December 1 and December 14. He scored 16 points through his first 32 games before joining Team USA for the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. While Rangers assistant general manager Jeff Gorton acknowledged Miller's slow adjustment period, he praised the forward's improvements. After returning from the 2013 World Junior Championships with a gold medal, Miller became the youngest player named to the 2013 AHL All-Star Game. When he was recalled to the NHL level on February 4, 2013, Miller was tied for sixth on the Whale with eight goals and 20 points.
Miller made his NHL debut on February 5, 2013, against the New Jersey Devils and recorded two shots on net. After being kept pointless in his debut, he tallied his first two NHL goals at Madison Square Garden on February 7 against the New York Islanders. He subsequently became the first Rangers player to register a multi-goal game in his Madison Square Garden debut since Chris Kontos in 1983, and the youngest player in franchise history to tally a multi-goal game since Alex Kovalev in 1992. Due to the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Rangers had five games to decide whether they would send Miller down or burn off a year of his contract. After choosing to keep him at the NHL level, Miller recorded two goals and two assists over 26 games. Before he returned to the AHL in April, head coach John Tortorella praised him for his ability to swiftly adapt to playing at the NHL level at a young age. Miller finished the season with eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points through 42 games. He ranked third among team rookies in assists, tied for third in points and ranked fourth in goals. After the Whale's season concluded, Miller was added to the Rangers roster for the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, but did not play in a game.
Over the 2013 offseason, the Rangers replaced Tortorella as head coach with Alain Vigneault. Miller returned to the Rangers 2013 training camp out of shape and suffered a hamstring injury during conditioning laps. He began the 2013-14 season with the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. In his season debut on October 5, he scored two goals and an assist. Under Vigneault, Miller consistently fell down the line-up and was reassigned to the AHL six different times through the 2013–14 season. While Miller later credited Vigneault for helping him develop maturely as a player and as an individual, he acknowledges that he "wasn’t the most coachable" as a 20-year-old. Through 30 games with the Rangers, Miller had recorded three goals and three assists. Before demoting Miller for the final time of the regular season, Vigneault called him out and said he needed to see "more commitment."
Miller finished his second season with the Wolf Pack with 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points. He was recalled to the Rangers on April 14 to join their roster for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. He made his debut in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first round against the Philadelphia Flyers. In his debut, he recorded an assist on Brad Richards goal in the second period to help the Rangers win 4–2. Miller played in three more playoff games, and added two assists, before suffering an injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Unlike the previous season, Miller returned to New York six weeks before training camp began to stay in shape. He was named to the Rangers' opening night roster but was reassigned to the AHL after going pointless through three games. Upon joining the Wolf Pack, Miller registered six goals and nine assists through 18 games. Due to an injury to Chris Kreider, Miller was promoted from the AHL on November 28, 2014 and shifted from centre to wing. Over his first four games as the Rangers second line winger, he tallied two goals. While he was a healthy scratch five times through February 4, 2015, his confidence as a player grew and he began earning the coaching staff's trust. This trust allowed him to play alongside a variety of teammates including Carl Hagelin and Kevin Hayes. Miller was put with Hayes and Hagelin due to an injury to Jesper Fast in early February, and they combined for 27 points through their first 16 games. When Martin St. Louis was sidelined due to an injury in late March, Miller was promoted the Rangers' second line with Derek Stepan and Kredier. Over the four games St. Louis missed, Miller scored the game-winning assist and game-winning goal in two separate games. His game-winning goal on April 2 allowed the Rangers to clinch first place in the Eastern Conference and set a new franchise record for most road wins in a season. Miller concluded the regular season with a career-high 10 goals and 13 assists.
Due to their regular season success, Miller remained on the Rangers' second line to open Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After going pointless in Game 1, Miller tallied his first playoff point in Game 2 with an assist on Stepan's first period goal. The trio were split up in the Eastern Conference second round against the Washington Capitals. After losing Game 1, Vigneault promoted Jesper Fast and demoted Miller to play with Hayes and Carl Hagelin. Miller assisted on Hayes' second period goal in Game 7 to help the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Rangers lost Game 2 of the Conference Finals, Vigneault moved Miller onto a line with Derick Brassard and Rick Nash late in Game 3. They remained a unit through Games 4 and 5 before breaking out in Game 6 with a combined total of five goals and 13 points. This marked the first time in franchise history that three players had receded four or more points in the same game. After the Rangers were eliminated in Game 7, Miller finished the playoffs with one goal and seven assists through 19 games. On July 15, Miller agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Rangers.