K'Andre Miller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids K'Andre Miller
Miller (left) with the New York Rangers in 2023
Born	(2000-01-21) January 21, 2000 (age 25) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Carolina Hurricanes New York Rangers
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 2018 New York Rangers
Playing career	2021–present

K'Andre Miller (born January 21, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey player. He plays as a defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes in the National Hockey League (NHL). He joined the Hurricanes in July 2025. Before that, he was picked by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 22nd player chosen overall.

Miller was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He started ice skating when he was only two years old. He first played as a forward, like his favorite player Mikko Koivu. But he changed to defense when his high school team, Minnetonka High School, needed another defenseman. After two years at Minnetonka, he joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He played there for two seasons in the United States Hockey League and in international games. He also played in the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships.

After the development program, Miller played for two seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers college team. He also played in two IIHF World Junior Championships. Miller then signed a contract with the Rangers. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he started playing for the team in the 2020–21 season. As a new player, he played alongside Jacob Trouba. Miller quickly became an important part of the Rangers' young team. He played over 20 minutes in most games. He was even named to the NHL All-Rookie Team at the end of his first season.

Early Life and Youth Hockey

K'Andre Miller was born on January 21, 2000, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He started ice skating at age two and began playing ice hockey soon after. Besides hockey, Miller was a child actor and model for companies like Target and Honda. He also played American football for a coach who was a family friend, Rick Helling.

Miller first played as a forward on his youth hockey teams. His favorite player was Mikko Koivu, a longtime captain for the Minnesota Wild. He decided to switch to playing defenseman when his high school team, Minnetonka High School, needed someone for that position.

After playing two seasons with Minnetonka, Miller joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP). In the 2016–17 season, he played for the under-17 team. He scored three goals and made 14 assists in 54 games. He also played in 34 United States Hockey League (USHL) games, where he added seven more assists. The next year, he moved up to the NTDP's under-18 team. He scored nine goals and 29 points in 58 games. In 22 USHL games, he had four goals and 12 assists. This made him one of the top defensemen in the USHL that season.

College Hockey Career

Playing for Wisconsin Badgers

After his time with the NTDP, Miller was the first player from Minnesota chosen in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The New York Rangers picked him 22nd overall in the first round. Before the draft, the Rangers traded up to get the 22nd pick. Two years before the NHL draft, Miller had already decided to play college hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin.

The new coach for Wisconsin, Tony Granato, wanted to build his team around young defensemen. Miller was paired with another new player, Ty Emberson. In his first six games, Miller had seven points. He also led the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with a +9 plus–minus rating. One of his points was the Badgers' first goal of the season. This happened in a 3–0 win against the Boston College Eagles on October 12, 2018.

By the holiday break, Miller led his team with 17 points. He was named the Hockey Commissioners' Association National Rookie of the Month twice. His season ended early because of a leg injury in February 2019. But he still finished with five goals, 22 points, and a +7 rating. He was also a finalist for the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year award. He was named to the 2019 All-Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

For the 2019–20 season, Miller was one of only two players chosen for the preseason All-Big Ten First Team. He was suspended briefly before the season for breaking team rules. But he rejoined the team for their first game. His second season was not as strong as his first. He scored seven goals but had fewer overall points, with 18 in 36 games. His defensive play also struggled, and his plus-minus rating dropped to −7. On March 16, 2020, Miller decided to leave college after two seasons. He signed a contract with the Rangers. In 62 college games, he had a total of 40 points.

Professional Hockey Career

New York Rangers (2021-2025)

Miller's contract with the Rangers started in the 2020–21 season. He would normally have joined the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' minor league team. However, the COVID-19 pandemic had stopped both the NHL and AHL seasons. Because of these delays, it was unclear if Miller would start with the Rangers or need more time in the minor leagues.

Rangers coach David Quinn had planned for another player to be paired with Jacob Trouba. Trouba was New York's highest-paid defenseman. But Miller played so well in training camp that he made the Rangers' main team. He was even put on the same defensive pair as Trouba. Miller got his first NHL point in his fourth game. It was an assist in a 4–3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 22, 2021. His first goal came four days later against the Buffalo Sabres.

Playing on the second defensive pair with Trouba, Miller quickly became a key player for the Rangers. He played over 20 minutes per game. He also helped on both the power play and penalty kill units. The Rangers struggled and missed the playoffs that year. However, Miller, Alexis Lafrenière, and Kaapo Kakko were seen as a strong group of young players. They were expected to lead the team in future seasons. Miller finished his first season with five goals and 12 points in 53 games. He averaged over 21 minutes of ice time per game. He was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for 2021.

Miller started the 2021–22 season with a bit of a struggle. He had only one goal and one assist in his first 13 games. He was also taken off the penalty kill unit because he was having trouble stopping goals. His first goal of that year came on November 8. He skated the puck all the way from his own end of the ice and scored against the Florida Panthers.

During a game against the Dallas Stars on January 12, 2023, Miller scored a goal that tied the game with only one second left. He became the fourth defenseman in Rangers history to score such a late game-tying goal. The others were Brian Leetch (1998), Darren Turcotte (1992), and Doug Robinson (1965).

On February 26, 2023, Miller received a serious penalty in a game against the Los Angeles Kings. He was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct involving Kings' defenseman Drew Doughty. After a review, Miller was suspended for three games. Miller later said the incident was accidental.

Carolina Hurricanes (2025-present)

On July 1, 2025, Miller was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. In return, the Rangers received Scott Morrow and two draft picks for 2026. After the trade, Miller signed a new eight-year contract with the Hurricanes. This contract is worth $60 million.

International Play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver	2019 Canada
World U18 Championships
Silver	2018 Russia

Miller's time with the NTDP allowed him to play for the United States in many international tournaments. He first played in the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He played in six games and had one assist for Team USA, which finished fifth. Two years later, he played for the United States team in the IIHF World U18 Championship. He helped his team win a silver medal. He scored one goal and made two assists in seven games.

After turning 18, Miller played for the United States junior team in two IIHF World Junior Championships (WJC). In the 2019 tournament, Miller played limited minutes because he was sick. But he had one assist in six games. Team USA lost to Finland in the championship game, but Miller still earned a silver medal. The next year, Miller was an alternate captain for Team USA. He played the most minutes of any American defenseman. However, the United States lost to Finland in the quarterfinals. This meant they did not win a medal at the WJC for the first time in five years.

Personal Life

K'Andre Miller is biracial and has often spoken about racism in ice hockey and in North America. In March 2020, after he signed with the Rangers, Miller experienced a hateful incident during an online video chat. Someone interrupted his Q&A session and used mean, hateful words. The NHL, the Rangers, USA Hockey, and his teammates all strongly condemned the incident. Miller later said that he had faced similar racist incidents throughout his hockey career. He chose not to quit the sport because he loved it so much. After a major event in May 2020, he also showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Miller went to the 2018 NHL draft with his mother, former baseball pitcher Rick Helling, and Helling's daughter Jordyn. When Miller played for the Minnesota Blades, he would help coach younger teams. Helling's daughter was on one of these teams. Helling later coached Miller when he played football in high school. Miller sees Helling as an important mentor.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016	United States	U17	5th		5	0	1	1	0
2018	United States	U18			7	1	2	3	4
2019	United States	WJC			6	0	1	1	0
2020	United States	WJC	6th		5	0	2	2	2
Junior totals					23	1	6	7	6

Awards and Honors