Miller's Musings

 n the heels of an impressive 8-2 run to get the team to a respectable record after their horrid start, the Millers dealt forward Yanni Gourde to Fergus for prospect F William Zellers. 

The Millers then acquired F Joel Armia from Val-d’Or for minor league D Jaydon Struble. 

Moving Out:

Gourde had fallen out of favor, having been a healthy scratch after registering 0 points and a -5 in 10 games. After initially starting the season on the 3rd line with Rossi and Guenther, Gourde’s struggles saw him relegated to 4th line duty and ultimately to the press box. At a $5.5 million salary he was an expensive scratch. His lineup spot on the 4th line was taken by Andres Athanasiou. Gourde was counted on to be a key penalty killer but the PK has been near the top of the league without him. His 2nd go-around in Georgetown ended up being a massive disappointment. 

Struble was acquired this off-season in the Marco Rossi trade. Always viewed as a bottom-pairing or depth defenseman he was currently 10th on the team’s blue line depth chart and didn’t seem likely to move much higher next season with David Jiricek and Jack Thompson potentially moving up to the club. Val-d’Or gives him a much better path to playing time. 

Coming In:

Like Gourde. Armia was a vet who had slid down the depth chart and was a frequent healthy scratch. The Millers are intrigued with his speed and defensive ability and plan to use him regularly in the bottom 6 and on the PK. He’s likely to replace Athanasiou in the lineup. A UFA at season’s end, he is a long shot to be re-signed. 

Zellers was the 85th pick in the 2024 CCHL entry draft. The Minnesota native is currently playing in the USHL with Green Bay and will be attending college at North Dakota. On the small side at 5’10, 170 lbs, Zeller is lauded for his hands, hockey sense and offensive ability. He needs to improve his all-around game and become more dynamic in his skating, as it’s good but he’ll need another gear to make an impact in the pro game at his size. He’s a good 4 to 5 years away from the pros. He profiles as a middle 6 winger if he puts it all together. 

Notes:

Another Miller expected to be an important cog who has recently found himself on the outside looking in is D Mario Ferraro. Ferraro has not shown any real chemistry with any of his defense partners this year, including Shea Theodore, Shane Gostisbehere and Jake Walman. After Theodore returned from injury it was Walman who was chosen to play on the 1st pair with him. The Millers have no plans to move Ferraro out, as he’s still considered a key part of the team’s present and future. 

Recent acquisition Connor Ingram seems to have leaped ahead of Lukas Dostal as the team’s starter in net. The Millers are expected to ride the hot hand this season, and even giving up 6 goals on Thursday still left Ingram with a .902 save % since joining Georgetown. That would rank 6th in the CCHL if he had enough games to qualify.