St. Louis' assistant GM's, Tim Taylor, Ryan Miller to directly manage hockey ops of its AHL affiliate through new management structure
The St. Louis Blues announced on Wednesday a leadership change for its American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield that features assistant general managers Ryan Miller and Tim Taylor each adding the title of Thunderbirds Co-GM's on a permanent basis moving forward.
The immediate change in management structure follows the departure of former Thunderbirds GM Kevin Maxwell, who is expected to moved on to the New York Rangers in a management position.
In their dual roles for the Blues and Thunderbirds, Taylor will continue to oversee player personnel while Miller will manage contract negotiations, compliance, and various hockey operations functions.
“Kevin played an instrumental role in the development of our prospects and strengthening of our relationship with the Springfield organization during his three-plus years with our management team and we wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career,” Blues GM Doug Armstrong said in a team release. “Building on the success from their previous roles within the Blues organization, Ryan and Tim have proven to be an effective team with complementary talents over their two years as assistant general managers in support of me and Alexander Steen. As we move forward with them sharing the developmental and operational responsibilities of players throughout all levels of our organization, their partnership will ensure efficient communications and decision making between our staffs in St. Louis and Springfield.”
Taylor, 57, first joined the Blues as director of player development in 2011 before elevating to his most current role as assistant general manager and director of player personnel. During his tenure, Taylor has made a substantial impact on the organization through his efforts to assess, develop and guide Blues prospects at all levels. His efforts played a key role in helping the Blues capture the 2019 Stanley Cup championship. As a player, Taylor enjoyed a 13-year NHL career, including stints with Detroit, Boston, the New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay. As a player, he was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, winning with Detroit in 1997 and Tampa Bay in 2004.
Miller, 42, came to the Blues in 2010 as the team’s director of hockey administration before being promoted to assistant general manager in 2020 after helping the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup title. In his role, Miller negotiates contracts, ensures compliance under the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap, and prepares for players who might opt to file for salary arbitration, along with a wide range of other responsibilities.
With an affiliation agreement that began in 2021, the Blues and Thunderbirds announced an extension of that partnership through the end of the 2030-31 season in October of 2024 that further solidified the long-term future of the AHL in Springfield, one of the league’s charter cities.
Currently led by Head Coach Steve Ott, former Blues player and an assistant coach on the Blues’ 2018-19 Stanley Cup championship team, Springfield currently holds the sixth and final playoff position in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. Overall, 33 players have skated in games for both teams during the affiliation agreement, including current Blues players Dalibor Dvorsky, Joel Hofer, Matthew Kessel, Theo Lindstein, Jake Neighbours, Logan Mailloux, Otto Stenberg, Alexey Toropchenko, and Tyler Tucker.
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