Connor Miller returned to Humboldt earlier this week with a bronze medal after helping Canada West finish in third place at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Camrose, Alberta.
He hopes to bring more than a medal back from the international experience to the Humboldt Broncos for the second half of the season.
The journey to Alberta began in the beginning of November, when Miller along with 59 other players from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) took part in a Western All-Star Showcase Challenge in Warman, to determine the players that would participate in the Canada West Selection Camp in Calgary.
In Warman, Miller felt his game was taken to another level.
“We had a solid group of guys there and I think that's where my game really accelerated.”
There was a familiar presence behind the bench in Warman with Broncos Assistant Coach Carter Hansen leading the SJHL squad in Warman, and Brayden Klimosko the Broncos Head Coach helping Hansen as the assistant coach.
“They definitely helped encourage me a bit and tell me things worked on and do a little better and it just helped me be more comfortable in those situations.”
Miller along with teammates with the Broncos, Jacob Strizzi and Oakley McIlwain were among the players from the SJHL and MJHL that were named to the camp in Calgary.
After the three-day camp, the Lipton SK product was named to the Canada West team, which came as a pleasant surprise.
“I was shocked,” said Miller, noting a highlight was suiting up in the Canadian jersey.
“It was best feeling ever being able to wear the maple leaf, it was super cool.”
It was a rough start for the Canada West in Camrose, dropping their three round robin games against Sweden, Canada East, and United States. The matchups against Sweden and the United States saw the Canada West team lose by a combined score of 19-2, with Miller picking up a goal. He said the quality of competition was raised to another level against the two teams.
“It was good to challenge ourselves and push our game to the next level, especially knowing that you can play with them, battle and it was.”
After a semi-final loss to the Sweden, Canada West faced off against Canada East in the bronze medal matchup to conclude the tournament. In their final game, Canada West defeated their eastern counterparts 5-2, with Miller picking up an assist. He believed the team played their best game in the bronze medal matchup.
“We struggled the whole tournament, but we were building something good and especially in that bronze game, we played like dogs, and we just worked and worked and finally something went our way.”
While Miller didn’t get to share the bronze medal victory with his teammates, Miller wasn’t the only member of the Broncos in Camrose, as Hansen was the Canada West Video Coach. Having a familiar presence throughout the tournament added a level of comfort for Miller.
“It was good to have someone I could talk to and trust, we supported each other, said the Broncos forward, “It was a long 13 days together, but it was definitely worth it.”
Hansen felt Miller had a strong showing during the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge.
“I know I’m going to be biased, but I thought he was one of top three forwards throughout the tournament,” said the Broncos Assistant Coach, “he played the right way, he bought into the system we were trying to do from the get-go.”
During the week, Hansen believed Miller showed progress.
“He just kept getting better and better as the week went on, winning a lot of physical battles, he got really good inside of the faceoff dot, for a guy that is a winger.”
Hansen agreed with Miller, that the Broncos forward’s ascension began with the strong showing in Warman.
Along with returning with some extra hardware, Miller hopes his experience in Alberta will pay dividends with the Broncos during the second half of the season.
“Work towards competing instead of hard work. Hard work you obviously need it, but competing is everything. Compete was a big thing for us up in Camrose,” he said, “winning your small battles, winning your shifts, periods, brining that back here is something I want do, which our team could really use.”
Entering his third season in Humboldt, Miller has 18 points (8G-10A) through 23 games and is on pace to surpass the 30 points (12G-18A) he posted last season. The Broncos forward feels he has become a more well-rounded player this year.
“I've become more confident, more reliable in every situation, which is something I've needed to work on, and I'm confident that our team will do good here in be a big part of moving on.”
Heading into the final weekend before the Christmas holidays, the Broncos are battling for a playoff spot, tied with La Ronge and Kindersley for the 7th spot in the league standings.
You can listen to the full interview with Miller and Blaine Weyland below