Andy Miele is thriving in Grand Rapids as he continues to prove doubters wrong

Photo courtesy of Sam Iannamico/Grand Rapids Griffins
Photo courtesy of Sam Iannamico/Grand Rapids Griffins

 

By Pat Evans –

Andy Miele is accustomed to being overlooked.

Coming out of the midget ranks in Michigan, colleges from his home state of Michigan largely ignored him. And despite eventually winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey as a senior at Miami University, he had been passed over in the NHL Draft.

Now, however, he’s thriving in the state of Michigan, playing a prominent role for the Grand Rapids Griffins as they aim for a lengthy American Hockey League playoff run.

The aforementioned events above are just some of the roadblocks on a path Miele has endured while trying to overcome the drawbacks of his 5-foot-8 stature and prove his doubters wrong.

His dream of the NHL started later than sooner, at least by most hockey players’ standards.

“I wasn’t a huge fan of hockey growing up,” Miele said. “But my parents kept bringing me to the rink and I eventually fell in love with it.”

Miele grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods and said his family’s proximity to the Red Wings made it easier to become a hockey fanatic. The high caliber of youth hockey in the Metro Detroit area also helped Miele fall in love with the game and dream of someday playing for the Detroit Red Wings as his skills improved.

He played in the Detroit area until his junior year of high school when he made the decision to join the USHL and sign with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Miele during his college hockey days at Miami. (Photo by Dave Reginek/DRW)
Miele during his college hockey days at Miami. (Photo by Dave Reginek/DRW)

 

The move to Iowa was tough for Miele’s parents, but for him, it was a chance to start a new chapter and improve his hockey abilities.

“Once they got me there and saw the family I’d be staying with, they felt a lot more comfortable with the decision,” he said. “It was just so great for my development in hockey.”

The jump from midget to junior hockey, however, was large. Miele said the first year in Cedar Rapids was the last time he was a healthy scratch. Still, that first season in the USHL saw Miele score 10 goals and add 17 assists.

Early the next season, Miele was traded from Cedar Rapids to the Chicago Steel. Finishing the last 45 games of the 2006-07 season with Chicago, Miele scored 13 goals and assisted on 29 more. Then, in his final 29 games of his USHL career the next season, he scored 30 goals and helped on 11 more, leaving him the highest scorer in Chicago Steel history.

His productive seasons in the USHL didn’t lead him to college in Michigan. Aside from Ferris State, no Michigan schools were giving Miele a look. Instead it was current Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill at Miami who recruited him to Oxford, Ohio.

Miele said the program Miami was growing into was attractive and he fell in love almost immediately with the RedHawks’ approach to hockey. Instead of feeling let down by the lack of Michigan school interest, he used that as motivation.

“It fueled the fire a little bit,” he said. “I always had good games against Michigan. I loved to beat them.

“But I couldn’t see myself at any other schools.”

His first three seasons at Miami were increasingly productive, with stat lines of 6-8-14, 15-16-31 and 15-29-44.

Following his junior year, he went to the Washington Capitals’ developmental camp. There, a scout told Miele he was his choice for the Hobey Baker.

“It never crossed my mind until he said that,” Miele said. “I still didn’t think about it much, because so many things have to go right.”

Photo courtesy of Sam Iannamico/Grand Rapids Griffins
Photo courtesy of Sam Iannamico/Grand Rapids Griffins

 

Everything went right — save for the absence of a national championship — and Miele led the nation in scoring with 24 goals and 47 assists in 39 games in his senior season. During that year, he won CCHA Player of the Month twice, including February 2011, when he was named National Player of the Month. On top of the Hobey Baker, he was also named USCHO Player of the Year, CCHA Player of the Year and USA Hockey’s College Player of the Year.

The Phoenix Coyotes signed Miele following the collegiate season to a two-year entry-level contract. In the 2011-12 campaign, Miele was the Portland Pirates’ leading scorer with 13 goals and 38 assists, and he also logged his first NHL minutes with the Coyotes. The next year, he scored 19 goals with 34 helpers, before exploding to score 27 goals and assisting on 45 more for Portland last season.

Then, on July 2, 2014, he signed with the Red Wings for a single season on a two-way contract, thanks again to Blashill.

“He has a track record for developing players into great NHL players,” Miele said. “We talked in the summer and was confident he could do the same for me.”

And Miele improved once again, netting 26 goals and 44 assists for 70 points in 71 games this past season, and also notching his best plus-minus as a pro at 13 during the regular season. That led to an AHL All-Star First Team selection for Miele, as well.

He wants to be a full-time NHLer and believes he can have what it takes after seeing improvement in another professional season.

“It’s just consistency,” he said. “Everyday, it’s trying to get better and not giving up on your dream. Keep that goal in sight and be consistent.

“If I get a good opportunity, I just have to keep my confidence that I’ve gained down here and be the best player every time I step on the ice.”

Miele and the Griffins hold a 2-0 series lead over the Rockford IceHogs in the second round of the AHL playoffs. The two teams meet in Illinois tonight for Game 3.