Wranglers’ Adam Miller named ECHL Player of the Week

Stephen Sylvanie / Special to the Sun

Adam Miller is congratulated by teammate Mike Madill after scoring during the third period against the Victoria Salmon Kings on Thursday night, Dec. 3. Madill assisted on the goal, the second of the night for Miller.

By Anthony Fenech

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

The Adam Miller file

Height: 6’1

Weight: 200 lbs.

Hometown: Livonia, Mich.

College: Ferris State

Favorite hockey team: Detroit Red Wings

Favorite hockey player: Steve Yzerman

Best hockey moment: Playing in a Midget-AAA tournament at age 17 and leading the tournament — which included a young Sidney Crosby — in points.

Adam Miller has been on fire on the ice as of late.

Last week, the Las Vegas Wranglers center tallied three goals and four assists, helping the Wranglers break a seven-game funk and sweep the Victoria Salmon Kings.

This week, Miller has been named the Sher-wood Hockey East Coast Hockey League Player of the Week for his performance.

“It’s pretty cool,” Miller said. “Obviously, there’s only one player in the league that gets that award and it feels good.”

Miller finished the week of Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 with a plus-minus ranking of +2 and leads the Wranglers with 19 points, good for 14th in the ECHL National Conference.

Aside from his individual performance, Miller has anchored what has become Las Vegas’ top scoring line with Ryan Weston and Francis Lemieux.

“My linemates have come through for me this past week,” Miller said.

The three have been skating together for about six games, Miller said, and as their familiarity grows with one another, so does their offensive performance.

“Franky (Lemieux) has a lot of speed, and Weston gets pucks to the net a lot,” he said. “We’re trusting each other and spreading the puck around.

“Anytime we’re out there, something good can happen.”

In the past series against Victoria, the line combined for eight of the Wranglers’ 13 goals and added eight assists.

“That series was huge for us,” Miller said. “We could have pointed fingers at each other, but we didn’t do that. We just came together, and that shows a lot of character about our team.”

Thanks to Miller’s performance, a case of pucks will be donated to a Las Vegas youth hockey organization by Sher-wood Hockey, the exclusive puck supplier of the ECHL.

“That’s what Miller needed,” head coach Ryan Mougenel said of his last week. “Offensively, he can fly. It’s the other side of the puck we need to work on, and once he gets that down, he’ll be in the American Hockey League.”

The Wranglers head to Victoria for a three-game series beginning Thursday and ending Saturday.

Bina’s Back: Defenseman Robbie Bina has returned from the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, where he played in two games and recorded an assist.