It’s been a tough Summer for the CHL now that its players are eligible to play in the NCAA. Many have decided to head south of the border, and you can now count another Montreal Canadiens’ prospect among those who chose the NCAA.
A fourth-round pick at the 2023 draft, goaltender Quentin Miller played for the Quebec Remparts when Montreal drafted him, but he was traded to the Rimouski Oceanic the following season. He was hoping to be the Oceanic’s number one and backstop them to a Memorial Cup since they were set to host the tournament, but a preseason shoulder injury derailed his plans.
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He had to undergo surgery, and the six-month recovery period was too long for Rimouski, who decided to move on and trust William Lacelle as their number one. Since no other QMJHL team showed interest in Miller, he elected to move to the BCHL to finish the 2024-2025 season. In 10 games, he posted an 8-2-0 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
His stint in the BCHL will have been short, since the goaltender has decided to join the Denver Pioneers in the NCAA. There, he will be joining forces with another Canadiens draft pick from the 2023 class, Sam Harris. The left winger has been with the Pioneers for the last two seasons, recording 21 and 35 points in his two campaigns.
Denver has done very well in the last few seasons, winning the Frozen Four in 2024 and eliminating Boston College and Jacob Fowler in the Northeast Regional Final last April, which led to Fowler joining the Laval Rocket in April.
Miller will have two competitors for the netminding job in Denver: sophomore Paxton Geisel, who appeared in just two games last season playing behind Fowler (1-0-0, 4.41 GAA and .857 SV), and freshman Johnny Hicks, who played in the WHL with the Victoria Royals last season (10-4-1, 2.69 GAA and .909 SV).
The Canadiens have Miller’s rights until June 1, 2027, according to Puckpedia, although sign-by-disposition has yet to be determined for players who moved from Major Junior to the NCAA. It’s also worth noting that third-round pick at the 2025 draft, goaltender Arseni Radkov, will also move to the NCAA with the University of Massachusetts for the 2026-27 season.
Photo credit: Pierre Bourgault/Club de Hockey Canadien inc.
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