Bettman: Bruins prospect Mitchell Miller 'not eligible' for NHL at this point originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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The Boston Bruins didn't consult with the NHL before signing controversial defenseman prospect Mitchell Miller on Friday, according to league commissioner Gary Bettman.
Bettman spoke with reporters Saturday at the Global Series in Finland and was asked about the Bruins signing Miller.
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Miller in 2016 was convicted in juvenile court of bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities when he was 14 years old. Miller was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but they released him after more details surfaced about how Miller and a classmate bullied and mistreated another classmate, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers.
The commissioner gave a strong reaction to the decision by the Bruins and noted that Miller isn't even eligible to play in the NHL at this time.
"What I understand and have heard through the media, what he did as a 14-year-old is reprehensible, unacceptable," Bettman said. "Before the Bruins made the decision to sign him, we were not consulted.
More on the Bruins' controversial signing
"I happened to talk to Cam Neely since the time that he was signed. He’s not coming into the NHL. He’s not eligible at this point to come into the NHL. I can’t tell you that he’ll ever be eligible to come into the NHL. If, at some point, they think they want him to play in the NHL, and I’m not sure they’re anywhere close to that point, we’re going to have to clear him and his eligibility.
"It will be based on all the information that we get firsthand at the time. So the answer is: They were free to sign him to play somewhere else, that’s another league’s issue, but nobody should think, at this point, he is or may ever be NHL eligible. And the Bruins understand that now."
Miller reported to the AHL's Providence Bruins on Friday.
It's not known at this time whether the AHL will allow Miller to play. A spokesperson told NBC10 Boston on Saturday that "League President and CEO Scott Howson is hoping to meet with [Miller] in the coming days to begin the process of determining next steps."
So right now we don't know if/when Miller will be eligible to play for the Bruins organization at the NHL or AHL level. If that wasn't bad enough, some Bruins players also have expressed concerns about the decision to sign Miller.
The Bruins will return to game action Saturday night when they play the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
