Representing Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club for its fourth season, the 25-year-old Miller was given a chance to represent the Chinese women's national ice hockey team at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the tall center, who was 1.75 meters tall, did not hesitate to join the team. In her first match against the Czech Republic on February 3, she scored the first goal of the Chinese team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, writing her name into the history of Chinese ice hockey.
Enjoy riding a balance bike to discover Shenzhen
During college, Miller represented the University of St. Lawrence in the NCAA for a total of 4 seasons, scoring 43 goals, 80 assists and 123 points in 124 games, almost averaging one point per game. It also helped her receive an invitation from the Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club, which joined miller, a recent college graduate, in the summer of 2018.
Miller recalls feeling excited when he first arrived in Shenzhen: "In my first season with Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing, I spent a lot of time in Shenzhen Longgang, and I wanted to try to absorb and digest everything around me. It was a great city and I had a lot of wonderful memories there. ”
When she first arrived in Shenzhen, her teammates took Miller to drink bubble tea, and she immediately fell in love: bubble tea is crazy!. The teammates also took her to eat hot pot and barbecue, Miller enjoyed eating with her teammates, learning about Chinese culture, she even learned to use chopsticks to pinch slices of meat from the hot pot, "I love Shenzhen!" The weather there was great! I bought a balance car so we could go around finding places we hadn't been to. ”
Fell in love with ice hockey as soon as I touched it
Born in Vancouver, Canada, where hockey is a great atmosphere, and similar to many ice hockey trails brought by his father or brother, Miller was brought to the ice hockey rink by his father. At the age of 8, she fell in love with the sport almost immediately and never regretted it.
Until ninth grade, Miller played for the North Shore Avalanches in the Youth League, and in high school, she began playing in the JWHL League, a first-tier reserve league before advancing to college. In the two seasons from 2012 to 2014, Miller scored 34 goals, 19 assists and 53 points in 56 games, showing good potential.
During the same period, Miller was twice selected for the Canadian U18 national team to participate in the U18 World Championships, and both won gold medals, she scored 2 goals, 4 assists and contributed 6 points in 10 games. Speaking of the experience, Miller is very excited: "Every time I play an international tournament and win a championship in these excellent teams on the Tour, it is both exciting and honorable. It was my first trip abroad and ice hockey has taken me to a lot of magical places and I feel lucky. ”
From Shenzhen Dayun to Beijing Wukesong
From the 2018-2022 season, Miller represented Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing Ice Hockey Club in one season in the Canadian Women's Ice Hockey League and three seasons in the Russian Women's Ice Hockey League. Miller said: "I joined Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing after graduating from university and this will be my fourth season, which is a great experience. Ice hockey took me to many places I hadn't been before. It also helped me meet many wonderful people, some of whom will be your lifelong friends. ”
At the home of the Shenzhen Universiade Center, Miller left an outstanding performance. Miller scored 43 goals, 40 assists and 83 points in 80 games for Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing, becoming an important firepower point on the team's offensive line. She is very familiar with many of her Chinese teammates: "I met a lot of Chinese teammates in my 4 seasons with Shenzhen Kunlun Hongxing, and of course the whole coaching staff, and I was able to integrate into the whole team as soon as possible. ”
Now that Miller has been named to the 23-man squad for the Chinese women's national ice hockey team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Miller said: "It is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand on the world's biggest stage." China and Kunlun Hongxing have given me a chance to continue playing professional hockey and to realize my dreams over the past few years. I am very grateful for all the experiences that have followed. ”
From the Shenzhen Universiade Center in 2018 to the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing in 2022, four years have taken Miller 2200 kilometers away, and the jersey on her body has changed from Shenzhen Vanke Sunshine to the Chinese women's national ice hockey team. Looking ahead to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics trip, Miller said: "I know we need to compete at a very high level in every game. We believe in our own preparation and daily training. I'm confident this team can get the results we want. ”