Ryan Miller was back in his hometown of East Lansing Tuesday after spending the previous day in Buffalo - the city he hopes to call his hockey home in the near future.
The 22-year-old star goaltender met with local media Tuesday to explain his decision to forgo his senior season at MSU in favor of professional hockey. On Monday, Miller signed a contract with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him in 1999.
Miller was surrounded by friendly faces and a familiar setting for Tuesday’s press conference at Munn Ice Arena. His comments ranged from nostalgic talk of the past to upbeat aspirations for the future, but one theme ran throughout - it was time to move on.
“I accomplished quite a bit here,” the two-time All-American said. “I know I came up short on a national title, but it came time to decide between that and pursuing pro hockey as a career.
“It just looked like a good time to enter the league. There’s room for me to play even if I don’t make the big club and that’s not always the case. It’s time to reach some challenges elsewhere.”
After months of speculation and soul-searching, Miller said he finally made up his mind to leave school about 10 days ago. He said he regretted the way the news broke Monday while he was out of the state.
“I wanted to be the first to tell you guys, and my boys (on the team), but Buffalo likes to do things in a way where they make the announcement,” Miller said. “I’m just thrilled to be a Buffalo Sabre, so I’m going to go along with what they say.
“It took so long because they had to get their affairs in order and I had to get my affairs in order. I don’t go about things just jumping into them without dipping my toe in the water first. I tried to handle things more professionally, but I’m relieved it’s over.”
Miller is expected to start the season with the Sabres’ top minor-league affiliate, the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
His two-year, entry-level contract is reportedly worth a little more than $2 million, although not all of the money is guaranteed. Miller can keep his $1 million signing bonus, but his salary depends on whether he plays in the NHL or AHL. The Sabres already have two goalies signed to NHL contracts, Martin Biron and Mika Noronen, so Miller’s chances of playing in the league are slim unless one of them gets hurt.
If he stays in the AHL, he will reportedly make about $80,000 a season.
But when it came time to make a decision, Miller said he considered his hockey advancement more than monetary figures. AHL teams play 80 games per season, compared to about 40 games a year in college. Also, Miller wants to test himself against older, more skilled shooters in the pros.
“His personal development is at the point where, if he’s going to play in the NHL, he needs to make this transition now,” said Dean Miller, Ryan’s father. “It was time to move on.”
While Miller heads to greener pastures, the MSU hockey team is left behind without its best player. Sophomore Matt Migliaccio and freshman Justin Tobe are expected to shoulder the goaltending load this year. But to compensate for Miller’s absence, MSU will undoubtedly have to concentrate on playing better defense while also improving its offense, which ranked sixth in the CCHA at 3.15 goals per game last year.
“If we can teach ourselves to only give up one shot and clear the rebounds and play like that, I think we could become a better team,” senior left wing Brian Maloney said.
“A lot of times, with Ryan being so good, you’d find yourself giving up that extra shot. I wouldn’t say lazy, but sometimes you’d get lackadaisical in front of the net because you have so much confidence that Ryan’s going to make that save.”
Senior defenseman Brad Fast agreed that MSU can persevere through the premature loss of an All-American.
“I think it’ll make us try that much harder just to prove ourselves that we weren’t just a one-man team here, as much as Ryan made it seem like that sometimes,” Fast said.
But first-year MSU head coach Rick Comley isn’t so cheery. He called Miller’s decision a “tremendous” loss for the team.
“I would have loved the chance to coach him, and obviously, it would have been great for our program if he had stayed,” Comley said. “But the bottom line is he was ready to move on. He was honest about it and gave everything he had while he was here. I think anybody that doesn’t wish him all the luck in the world is just being selfish.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, Miller stressed that he will continue to pursue his degree in general management, of which he is 19 credits shy.
And, in addition to business classes, Miller’s younger brother, Drew Miller, will join the Spartans at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, so Miller will have plenty of reasons to come back to East Lansing when possible. He admitted he’ll miss his hometown while he’s making saves - and a living - in western New York.
“This has been a great place to play for the last three years of my life, I enjoyed every second of it,” Miller said. “I am a little wary of moving on - I’m not going to have the familiar faces around - but that’s part of life.
“I just hope I’m remembered as a good goaltender and a good kid. I’m moving on now, but I did it for all the right reasons.”
James Jahnke can be reached at jahnkeja@msu.edu.
