Two reasons immediately emerged for discussing with Marat Valioulline. Firstly, Ak Bars recently suffered a series of defeats. One of the big favorites of the season is now in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. On Saturday, November 25, the Kazan club will play in Balashikha against Vityaz.
Second, Ak Bars announced on Saturday that it had signed defender Mitchell Miller. The agreement is valid until the end of the 2025/26 season. The player started the current season in the Slovak club Liptovsky Mikulas. Additionally, Miller, 21, has 29 (6+23) points in 19 games.
But the American moved to Europe after Boston terminated the deal with him. This is because Miller made fun of a disabled black person in 2016. The player himself admitted in court to bullying his disabled black classmate Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. The defender was sentenced to 25 hours of community service.
“It appears the road to the NHL is closed for Miller”
— It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a defender score a point and a half in a game. But your rookie, the American Mitchell Miller, 21, has 29 (6+23) points in 19 games this season. Is he such a genius – or is the Slovak championship so weak?
— I watched a lot of videos of Miller, how he behaved in different leagues. I studied about 50 of his matches. And how he plays defense and how he participates in the attack. What’s captivating is the type of movement he has, the type of passing he has. If a person knows how to prove himself during an attack, this is immediately visible.
They are not miserable people who play in the Slovak championship. There is professional adult hockey there. But before he left, Miller was ranked first among the league’s top scorers. And he’s a defender, by the way!
It appears his path to the NHL is closed. I spoke to the agents. They say a lot of NHL clubs wanted him. Without this scandalous story, Miller would not have gone to the fourth round against Arizona (No. 111), but to the first. He was ranked in all pre-draft rankings. If you have patience and work with him, this player should be a top player even in the NHL.
— Who does his style resemble?
— You can compare him with the young Vyacheslav Voinov. And his way of playing is similar to that of Cale Makar. Agile and fast defender. Also hungry for victories. He wants to win, to reach another level. It is clear that the door to the NHL was closed to him. But in the world, something changes every day.
— Avangard and Spartak applied for Miller last season. Why did he decide just now to join the KHL?
— I think last season he still thought he could stay in America. And he received offers from the NHL. Maybe something would have changed. Miller even hired a black agent during negotiations with Boston. And the contract with the Bruins was signed. The team wanted him and the league didn’t seem to care. But the club’s leaders opposed it, making statements to the press. I don’t know why they reacted like that: “We can’t be in the locker room with him.
“He will participate in the Ak Bars social program”
—Have you studied this story in depth? Was it fashionable in North America? Or did Mitchell Miller actually bully his disabled black classmate Isaiah Meyer-Crothers?
“We looked into it, and this story is not as crude as the journalists make it out to be. I think many schoolchildren at 14 did things that they were ashamed of later when they grew up. Seven years have passed since then. Miller offered his sincere apologies. And before the draft, he openly described his story, sending it in letters to every NHL club. Mitchell was sentenced to 25 hours of community service. I think Miller was fully punished for what he did in high school.
— Did you have to agree on Miller’s contract at the level of sponsors and club owners? Ak Bars’ image is at stake.
“We have been working on this defender since September. And then they brought the information to the management of Ak Bars, explaining all the nuances. Arguments were made and we received approval. Miller stumbled, but it was a story we were trying to figure out.
We have already spoken with Miller, he said that he wants to participate in the Ak Bars social program. For example, our club greatly supports and develops sledge hockey in the republic. Tatneft promotes adaptive hockey and conducts numerous charitable works. The guy will participate in many activities. Everyone makes mistakes, no one is without sin. It is important to be able to correct these errors.
— When will Miller be able to play his first match for Ak Bars?
— He comes from the Slovak championship. We have already registered a contract with the KHL. We signed him for two and a half seasons, through 2026. Miller is undergoing a thorough physical on Monday. If everything goes well, then the coaches will be able to release him either on November 30 in a home match with Avtomobilist, or on December 3 against Neftekhimik.
We need to see what condition he is in. I probably haven’t ridden in three or four days. But he has played a lot this season and should be fit.
“It is not a fact that Zhafyarov will definitely leave our club”
— Riley Barber joined Ak Bars from Barys, who scored 23 (10+13) points in 28 matches. Does this mean that Damir Zhafyarov is leaving Kazan for good?
— For now, Zhafyarov is with us. Indeed, we are working on his exchange and communicating with his representative. We don’t want Damir to suffer from this situation. He is still in good standing in the league. But things did not go well for him at Ak Bars. It happens, the situation is not unique. Maybe the trade will happen before the deadline. Or maybe not. I will not guarantee that Zhafyarov will leave Ak Bars permanently.
— Defender Alexey Marchenko definitely comes to you?
— We will have it on the main contract. We test, watch, talk, communicate. They wrote about a viewing agreement, but that’s not the case. And the contract amount will indeed be low. Alexey understands that we meet him halfway through his rehabilitation. And he needs to meet us halfway, understanding that there is a salary cap.
— What’s been going on with Ak Bars lately? Only one victory in the last seven matches.
— It’s better to see this series at the end of November than in the playoffs. When you win, your eyes become misty. And now we clearly see our shortcomings and understand with whom we can go further. What exactly should be done, how to fix it.
The coaches are working and I don’t see anything wrong here. Maybe the guys fell into their comfort zone. They see that nothing is happening and there is no replacement for them. But we are injecting fresh blood. And the departure of the same Chris (defender Christian Henkel was exchanged at Barys for Barber – Editor’s note) was definitely a hard blow. We show that no one is irreplaceable. Ak Bars will be transformed. Additionally, there is a break in December, during which we will work closely together. The KHL season schedule is not easy for everyone this season.
— The composition is clear, you react quickly. But maybe you should strengthen your coaching staff?
— We already did this when we invited Mike Pelino to Dmitry Kvartalnov’s headquarters, and with him the majority’s indicators improved. Although Pelino said we were working properly. But efficiency has increased. You can play the same patterns and it won’t work. If you introduce a few nuances, the majority will immediately start working.
If there is a demand from the technical staff now, we can look for reinforcements. But Zinetula Khaidarovich Bilyaletdinov takes the blow upon himself. He works around the clock, analyzing everything in depth.
– No problem, restart in the December window.
— In recent years, this is the biggest window in the championship where we can work. They will give you two or three days off and there will be mini-training. It will definitely help.
Watch live broadcasts of Fonbet matches of the KHL championship on the channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
