Photo credit: Damon James
It didn’t go exactly according to plan, but Ryan Miotto and the rest of his Chilliwack Chief teammates were able to call themselves RBC Cup champions at the end of last season.
After finishing fourth in the Mainland Division and being eliminated in the opening round of the Fred Page Cup playoffs, the Chiefs went 62 days in between games as hosts of the National Junior ‘A’ Championship.
“We did have some pressure on us, but we tried not to look at it too much,” Miotto said from his hometown of Thorold, Ontario. “We had two weeks off to go home and see family and friends. After we got back we went through some really tough training, everyone was healthy and in the best shape of their lives.”
After dropping the opening game of the tournament 2-1 in overtime to the Wenatchee Wild, the Chiefs wouldn’t lose again culminating with a 4-2 win over the Wellington Dukes in the championship game May 20.
While they would have rather been battling through the Fred Page Cup playoffs to win their way into the RBC Cup, Miotto says they learned lessons throughout the season that helped them when it came to crunch time.
“Over the year we definitely became a really tight group,” he said. “I felt like that was one of the reasons we played so well once the tournament came around. I was at a loss for words when the final buzzer went. Everyone was just throwing their gloves in the air and screaming. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Less than a month after winning the title, Miotto’s rights were traded from the Chiefs to the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League to complete a trade made during the regular season. They didn’t stay there long as the Vees made a move to acquire him August 1.
“I was talking to my family about every situation and didn’t know there was going to be another move being made,” Miotto explained. “It definitely builds my confidence to be picked up by a team like Penticton. I’m excited to be a Vee and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Miotto’s family are the ones that got him into hockey in the first place as his dad strapped a pair of skates on his feet when he was a kid. It was an instant love for Moitto who saw his game grow quickly every year.
Throughout his final year of midget with the Niagara North Stars, in which he scored 33 points in 32 games, he AP’d with the Welland Canadians of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. After four assists in 10 regular season games, he skated in five playoff games recording six points.
“Those playoffs helped me get ready for the next year by playing against older players,” Miotto said. “In a way I was a little surprised at what I was able to do the following year. I felt like a lot of things went my way that year, but overall it was a lot of fun. I had a ton of great teammates and memories from that season.”
Miotto blew up offensively during the 2016-17 year; playing full time with the Canadians he scored 27 goals and 44 assists in 48 games, claiming the GOJHL’s rookie of the year honours.
He also accomplished a personal goal that year; receiving an NCAA scholarship. February 6 of that season it was announced Miotto had committed to Canisius College for the 2019-20 season. While an NCAA Div 1 scholarship from a Junior ‘B’ league is almost non-existent out west, Miotto says it’s not surprising in Ontario.
“There’s a lot of good teams and players in that league,” Miotto explained. “There are a bunch of guys who played in the Ontario Hockey League. It’s good for younger guys to go against the older guys who have played a lot of junior hockey before.”
Miotto also got his first taste of Junior ‘A’ action that season as he was an AP for the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. He played two regular season games, with two goals and an assist, before becoming a regular in the playoffs where he suited up for 11 games.
Miotto chipped in offensively with two goals and three assists during the playoff run in which Georgetown reached the league final, but there was a noteworthy player on that team as well. Jack Hughes, the likely first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, was also an AP.
“He was really young, like a couple years younger than everyone else. But you could already see the skill he had, and everyone knew he was a special player,” Miotto said of Hughes.
After proving he could score in the GOJHL, Miotto had his sights set on Junior ‘A’ for the 2017-18 season. While staying at home in the OJHL was on the table, coming out West seemed like a better path, Miotto said.
“There were definitely thoughts of staying at home and playing in the OJHL,” Miotto admitted. “But my family and I figured playing in the BCHL would get me more ready for college hockey.”
Miotto packed his bags and travelled over 4,000 kilometres west to play for the Chiefs this past season, a solid year in which he scored nine goals with 12 assists. Interestingly enough, his first and last goals of the regular season both came against Penticton.
His numbers may not have been as eye-popping as they were with Welland, but Miotto takes pride in being able to do anything the team needs for a spark.
“I can see myself playing any position up front,” Miotto said. “I can play defence or chip in offensively. I’m a utility guy who can play any position the coach puts me in to help the team win.”
With a description like that, Miotto may find himself stepping on the ice to acknowledge the crowd as energy player of the game quite often during the 2018-19 season.
