Tri-City Storm honour former Coyotes draft pick who racially attacked a disabled teen

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Joshua Deeds
June 1, 2022 (2:09 PM)

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In a move that absolutely surprises no one about hockey culture anymore, the USHL made a move that gives us no one reason to suspect things will change.

The Tri-City Storm of the USHL who are located in Nebraska, brought back Mitchell Miller after the Arizona Coyotes backed out of their draft pick for the 2021-2022 season. The University of North Dakota also dropped him like the hot-racist potato that he was right after the Coyotes did.

«We know Mitchell very well and we are convinced what happened when he was 14 isn't indicative of his character or who he is now as a 19-year-old young man," Anthony Noreen, the Storm's head coach and president of hockey operations, said in a statement.

«Mitchell and the Storm do not minimize what happened five years ago. Bullying and racially offensive remarks are wrong under any circumstance. Mitchell is fully aware of that, he regrets what he did, and is genuinely sorry. He's grown and matured greatly since then, and we believe in the person that he's become."

All sources indicate that Miller never apologized for using a racial slur repeatedly toward Meyer-Crothers, spitting in his face, smacking and punching him in the face, and tricking Meyers-Crothers into licking candy that had been pushed into a urinal.

Meyer-Crothers has been the victim of a hate crime that never materialized because of the injustice for disabled and black people in America and the USHL and the Tri-City Storm can claim he is maturing, but years later this is just confirming that skill matters over the class of character.

Miller, a native of Sylvania, Ohio, finished third in league scoring and first among defensemen with 83 points (39-44-83) in 60 games this season. His 83 points was 26 more than the next defenseman while his 39 goals was tied for the most among all skaters in the USHL and was 13 more than the next defenseman. Miller's 44 assists finished tied for 10th in league scoring and was second among blueliners this season.

Congrats to the Tri-City Storm's Tony DeAngelo Junior.