NHL Rookie Notebook: Rangers' K'Andre Miller a true do-it-all defenceman

Every week throughout the 2020-21 season, we’re highlighting a handful of rookie performances and milestones from around the league.

Last week was all about shining a spotlight on rookie goaltenders. Now, let’s take a look how some prominent first-year defencemen are making impacts on their teams’ blue lines.

Kings’ youth movement continues on blue line
The 2020-21 season is most certainly another rebuilding year for the Kings, whose 4-6-3 record has them ranked last in the West. But all is not lost, as there’s a crop of fresh faces showing up in the lineup each night indicating a bright future is ahead.

The Kings have one of the strongest prospect pools in the league, and it’s starting to yield results – so far, seven rookie have been inserted into the lineup at various points this season, including four defencemen.

Mikey Anderson, a fourth-rounder (103 overall) from the class of 2017, got a taste of NHL life with a six-game stint late last season. One year later, the 21-year-old has not only played in all 13 of the Kings’ games but he’s got top-pair billing alongside veteran star Drew Doughty.

While it’s unclear if this pairing is here to stay, Anderson – whose leadership has seen him captain Team USA at the world juniors and University of Minnesota-Duluth — leads all rookies league-wide in average ice time (21:24) this season and has earned the approval of Doughty:

Last year, it was Tobias Bjornfot who found himself thrust into the spotlight on L.A.’s blue line alongside Doughty, his three-game stint to start the season before being sent down to develop in the AHL leaving everyone excited about his future as a King.

After starting this season with stints in the AHL and on L.A.’s taxi squad, Bjornfoot, 19, finally found himself back in the Kings’ lineup Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks and helped the club snap a five-game losing streak in the process. His season debut, which saw him on a second-pairing assignment alongside fellow rookie Kale Clague, brought his first career point (an assist) and his overall play made it clear that his season spent in the AHL last year was the right move for the 2019 first-rounder.

Whether he’s here to stay this time – and whether he’ll be reunited with Doughty as the Kings continue to mix and match d-men in an effort to find the veteran’s perfect partner – remains to be seen.

Clague, 22, took a little extra time to develop since being drafted in the second round in 2016, and that patience is looking like it’s paying off. His ice time has climbed steadily over the course of his 11 games this season, and is even seeing time on the second power-play unit.

Lesser known but also making the most of his NHL minutes is Austin Strand, a 23-year-old undrafted defenceman whose composure through his first four career NHL games was noted by head coach Todd McLellan.

Penguins’ Joseph living up to expectations
As one of the key pieces sent to Pittsburgh in the trade that dealt Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes, Pierre-Oliver Joseph’s debut earlier this season came with higher-than-average expectations. [sidebar]

So far, he’s lived up to all of them. The 2017 first-rounder made his NHL debut Jan. 22 against the New York Rangers after injuries opened the door for his arrival into the lineup. Eight games and five points later, it feels like a safe bet that he won’t be leaving. The 21-year-old is logging big minutes, including a whopping 25:58 on Jan. 1 and 26:14 two nights later, and is flexing his offensive muscles with a series of firsts: Joseph registered an assist in his NHL debut, tallied three helpers on Jan. 30 in his first career multi-point game, and scored his first goal Feb. 6.

Rangers’ K’Andre Miller a true do-it-all defender
On a team of young stars in New York, rookie defenceman K’Andre Miller stands out. In 12 games so far this season, the 2018 first-rounder is proving himself to be a true do-it-all defender.

On any given night, the 21-year-old can be seen shutting down opponents’ top threats with pick-pocket plays and blocked shots, driving scoring chances from the blue line, unleashing his rocket of a shot, and even playing goalie…

His first career NHL goal was a beauty:

Miller wasn’t considered a lock to make the roster out of camp, but his well-rounded game has made him not just a roster lock but someone head coach David Quinn is relying on more and more. Paired mostly with Jacob Trouba in a top-four role, Miller’s ice time has seen a steady rise and is now surpassing 20 minutes most nights.

Oilers’ blue line getting crowded
Like the Kings, the Edmonton Oilers are also seeing a youth surge on their blue line. Following strong rookie campaigns from Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones last year are two more rearguards vying for spots in the regular rotation this season: Evan Bouchard and William Lagesson.

Style-wise, Bouchard and Lagesson are pretty different. Lagesson, in seven games, has fit into a more pure shut-down role while Bouchard’s offensive acumen has him earning looks on the power-play in his five games this season so far.

Both have been really impressive, which is making head coach Dave Tippett’s job tough when figuring out his nightly lineup on what has quickly become a crowded blue line – a story to watch in Edmonton in the weeks ahead.

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