The Montreal Canadiens are already dealing with a bit of a goalie controversy at the NHL level this season. Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler and even Samuel Montembeault all have varying cases for getting time in net for the Habs.
Eventually, there might be another guy who throws his name into the ring: Quentin Miller.
Miller hasn’t yet reached the professional ranks. He’s still playing college hockey at the NCAA level.
But Miller is also already a part of the Canadiens’ future as one of their former draft picks, and his current status at the collegiate level is pushing him closer to getting a chance in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Quentin Miller at Western Michigan
Miller is pictured atop this article hoisting a national championship trophy. That was in the spring when he still played at the University of Denver.
He had been a key goalie contributor early in the year with the Pioneers but was injured midway through the season, and he never really got his role back.
Still, he was a national champ, a special moment to be sure. It just didn’t keep him in Denver.
Miller left in the offseason in the NCAA’s transfer portal and ended up at Western Michigan University. He’s off to a great start there.
“Miller was a huge part of Denver’s crease last year,” Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote earlier this week. “But a mid-season injury effectively ended his season, because by the time he was back and healthy, Johnny Hicks had taken over and gone 16-0-1 en route to a national title. Miller decided to chase a starting job elsewhere and landed at WMU, where he currently boasts a 4-0-0 record with just two goals allowed and a .976 save percentage. He hasn’t been particularly busy, but Miller has clearly found his groove again in showings against Ferris State and Notre Dame.”
The transfer to WMU wasn’t just good for Miller’s playing time this year, either.
Quentin Miller’s NHL Future With Canadiens
Miller seems to be pushing himself toward a sooner professional future than he may have had if he stayed in a timeshare at Denver.
“A fourth-round pick in 2023, Miller is positionally sound with a 6-foot-3 frame,” Ellis writes. “He might not be the most reactive goalie in the NCAA, but he doesn’t give up many poor rebounds and is in the right spot more often than not. Miller has been highly regarded by scouts over the past year, and many believe the move to WMU to maximize playing time could help him earn an (entry-level contract) sooner rather than later.”
Miller is 21 years old and has already done what the Habs would’ve wanted a fourth-round draft pick to do in goal — get better and force his way into the picture of their future.
He’s got at least this college season to finish first, but then there will start to be discussions about what comes next for Miller and Montreal.
Canadiens’ Goalie Prospect NCAA Transfer Helps NHL Future