At the end of his press conference following Tuesday night’s loss to the Jets, Rangers coach John Tortorella spoke about being worried the club is harming their young talent by putting them in pressurized spots they’re not ready for.
Yet in the same breath, he praised the play of J.T. Miller, the Rangers’ 19-year-old forward who has impressed since being called up from the Connecticut Whale of the AHL.
But it wasn’t a mixed message. Tortorella’s worry was about fellow youngsters Chris Kreider and Brandon Mashinter, who were both sent down to the Whale, one Wednesday, the other Thursday. Though their ice time was shrinking along with their play, Miller has done more than enough to warrant his shifts, even as the injury-riddled Rangers scratch for points.
“He’s been more consistent, I think he’s made more of a difference in the games than some of the other young guys we sent down,” Tortorella said of Miller, who had an assist and logged 12:33 in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Lightning Thursday night at the Garden. “The thing I liked about the last game, I thought he was leveling off, as I thought the other kids were, but I thought he found another level in his game, so he’s here. He’s done some pretty good things on the puck, so he continues to play.”
“He does a lot of little things I don’t think the other young guys have done consistently enough to stay here.”
His numbers — two goals and two assists in 11 games with an average of 12:52 of ice time — are far from eye-popping. But he has been solid.
“He’s a young kid with a ton of ability and he wants to stick, and he’s done a lot of good things,” veteran forward Brian Boyle said. “He’s got great offensive instincts. He can shoot the puck. He’s a strong kid for his age. He can do the work on the walls, he’s been battling.”
The team’s first-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Miller notched eight goals and 20 points with the Whale in 37 games and was on the United States team that won the gold medal at the world junior championship in Russia. In his Madison Square Garden debut, he showed a flair for the dramatic by scoring twice in a 4-1 victory on Feb. 7 over the rival Islanders.
“I’m up here for a reason,” he said. “I’m going to do the things I do well and that’s all I can control. I’m just going to go out and play the way I can play. I’m going to do the things that make me successful and ultimately help the team.
“I just have to play hard every shift, not take anything for granted.”