When Andy Miele was four and his parents had to chase him around the lobby just to put his skates on, who would have thought that eighteen years later he'd be the leading scorer in the NCAA, in contention for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award given to the best collegiate hockey player in the country and be starting his first day as a professional hockey player with the Phoenix Coyotes?
"My parents told me I wasn't a big fan of skating," Miele explained. "I don't remember this, but they kept bringing me back and bringing me back and one day it kind of started clicking and I was just flying around the rink and I never really looked back."
Although it might have taken him awhile to get the knack of skating, it didn't take him long to fall in love with hockey. He always wanted the puck…maybe too much.
"I used to play street hockey outside when I was younger and I think, honestly, this is probably what turned me into the player that I am, but I guess I wasn't passing the puck too much and this kid yelled at me so much that I ran back to my house crying," he said. "He came over later and apologized to me, but after that, I started passing the puck more than I normally did and they were all excited for me. I guess you could say that’s what turned me into a play maker."
Indeed, it is his ability to pass the puck and create plays out of nothing that has made Miele one of the most dangerous and dynamic players in college hockey earning 160 points the past four years.
It wasn't always easy to consider that as a possibility for himself as he went undrafted in the OHL, the USHL and the NHL.
"My goal my whole life was to play in the NHL," said the Michigan native. "And it seemed like I was constantly being told that I wouldn't make it because of my size. I always had to motivate myself to prove them wrong."
Standing 5'8'' and 175 pounds, it hasn't been easy for Miele, but he's proven himself at every level powered by a strong work ethic.
When he was 16, he tried out for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL in an effort to pursue his dream of playing hockey at the highest level.
"[My parents] were definitely scared for me. My mom’s a big time worrier," Miele explained. "But they knew it was something I wanted to do and was something that would help me achieve my goal and when I made it, I think my mom was more excited than I was. They are very supportive parents."
Over three and a half seasons in the USHL, Miele averaged just shy of a point per game and caught the eye of several collegiate programs. He chose to play for the RedHawks at Miami University because of the coaching staff, the campus, the quality education and the opportunity to play right away.
He joined the RedHawks mid-season and scored on his very first shift. It was most definitely a sign of things to come.
He notched 14 points in the 18 games he played the remainder of that year and increased his point totals every season culminating with 24 goals and 47 assists for 71 points in 39 games this year and he gives a lot of the credit to his linemates.
"Without my linemates I wouldn’t be in the situation that I am today with Reilly Smith this whole season, Carter [Camper] when he was really hot, [Trent] Vogelhuber… without them I wouldn’t be where I am so I’m very grateful I had them," said Miele.
Although Miami won their first Mason Cup as CCHA Champions this year, they ended their season earlier than expected when they lost to New Hampshire in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament. Instead of preparing for his third Frozen Four appearance in a row, Miele spent the past few days meeting with NHL General Managers to determine his future.
While he's always been a guy who plays much bigger than his true size, he's grown a lot as a player the past four years.
"I think every part of my game has improved," Miele explained. "Power, skating, stick handling, shooting… I feel like I make a lot better decisions when I get the puck and put myself into situations where I can make a player or force a turnover and get it out.
"I still need to improve a lot of things in my game, I need to get more powerful and I need to work on my shot, but I think I've set myself up to be in a good position to be successful for this opportunity to play in the NHL with everything I learned at Miami," he continued.
Over the weekend, he signed a two year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes and will join the team today as he takes the next step in his career. During this week of first's for Miele, he'll travel to St. Paul on Friday for the announcement of the Hobey Baker and while he wasn't able to help bring Miami their first National Championship, he's hoping he'll be able to bring the next best thing - their first Hobey Baker award winner.
Either way, Sue and Jim Miele deserve a big thank you for chasing him around the lobby.
Julie
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