Tommy Miller: Destined to be a Spartan

By Mike Mitchelson
For MSUSpartans.com

Michigan State hockey and the last name Miller have been intertwined since the mid 1950's. Stars such as Ryan, Drew, Kip, Butch, Dean, Kevin and Kelly and other members of the Miller family have shone bright for the Spartans over many decades.

There is a new Miller on the MSU marquee, senior defenseman and captain Tommy Miller, but in a twist – he is not a familial relation to the other former players.

The current Spartan Tommy Miller often gets asked if there's any relation to the famous Miller family, a question that brings a smile to his face.

"It's funny, but also very fitting, being a Miller at Michigan State," Tommy said.

His last name is famous, but he wants to leave his own legacy at Michigan State.

Tommy grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the youngest of four. He spent time around the ice rink, thanks to his oldest brother and sister playing hockey. Tommy first stepped on the ice around age 3 and began playing mini-mites at 5.

He loved watching his sister Margot play at the University of North Dakota, and said she is one of his biggest inspirations.

"I got to see what she did and how she handled things, that's why that passion for hockey stayed with me and was embedded in me because of seeing what she did," said Tommy.

Michigan State has always been close to Tommy's family, as his parents (Laura and Mark) are Spartan graduates.

"Even if I didn't play hockey, I would have hoped to end up here. Michigan State has always been in my heart and my family's heart," said Tommy, who is a packaging major set to graduate this spring.

Tommy Miller

The challenge of schoolwork, hockey and free time during the COVID-19 pandemic has been different.

"There are definitely weeks where it's tough, especially with COVID," Tommy said. "We have Monday night games or Tuesday night games and it makes it tough with schoolwork and lectures."

He said that the pandemic has been a difficult experience to process, and he has relied the time management skills he learned from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He was part of the prestigious U.S. National Team Development Program from 2016-17, and helped Team USA win gold at the 2017 U18 World Championship in Slovakia.

"It's an amazing opportunity and I am grateful that I got to do that, looking back it just makes me smile," said Tommy.

The Team USA experience also changed Tommy's life in another way: he got to meet his current MSU head coach, Danton Cole. The encounter happened because Cole, who came to MSU in 2017, was the USA Hockey's National Development team head coach.

Cole and Tommy deepened their coach-player relationship when they were in East Lansing.

"He's a very dependable mature young man, he's a very good leader, he does things right on and off the ice, takes care of his teammates and puts the team first. He's an ideal young man to coach," said Cole.

Being a team captain is one of the highest honors a team can bestow, and Tommy understands that. His Spartans teammates voted him as their team captain, reflecting their belief in his leadership. MSU's coaches also agreed with the choice.

"The time the coaching staff was the happiest was when we got the votes back for captain and we saw how many votes Tommy got. That's how we felt about him and it's nice to see that reflected in the minds of all the young men in the locker room," said Cole.

Tommy has had several unforgettable moments over his MSU career. Cole said Tommy's Dec. 20, 2020 overtime goal against Notre Dame was his favorite on-ice moment.

But off ice, one moment stood above the rest.

As the 2020 season finished due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cole and Tommy sat down for their customary year-end meeting. Tommy told Cole that he had just finished his favorite year of hockey, and that loved the guys in the locker room.

Despite the global uncertainty about COVID-19 and sports, he expressed how excited he was for his senior season.

Those words really moved Cole.

"That's a pretty neat thing, and for Tommy to express that to us as a staff, was a pretty cool thing to hear," Cole said. "(It's) one of the better things I've heard feedback wise in my career of coaching."

Tommy will soon be graduating, and looking forward to possibly playing professional hockey. For Cole, those are the precise outcomes he wants for his players.

"Tommy's going to get his degree and he's going to have the chance to play pro hockey, but he's going to be a really great Spartan to have out in the world when he leaves here," said Cole.

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