NHL legends and former Vancouver Canucks Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek have joined the San Jose Sharks organization as scouts. Miller will serve as a goalie scout and assist in the development of the Sharks’ goaltending prospects, while Vanek has been hired as an amateur scout with the duty of scouting the young talent in the Minnesota area.
Miller spent three seasons in Vancouver after signing with the club as a free agent in the 2014 offseason. He was a strong presence in goal despite backstopping the Canucks during some very lean years where the club’s roster construction flaws — particularly on their blue line — were heavily exposed. Miller logged a .911, .916, and .914 save percentage in his three seasons in Vancouver. Of course, he’s better known for his time in Buffalo, which is where he was a teammate of current San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier.
Although the two players never crossed paths in Vancouver, Vanek and Miller did spend nine seasons together in Buffalo. Vanek — or “Tommy Gun” as he was commonly known as among Canucks fans — signed a one-year deal to come to Vancouver for the 2017-18 season. Vanek put up 17 goals and 24 assists — good for 41 total points — through 61 games with the Canucks before being flipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Trade Deadline. Vanek’s trade to Columbus was the one that brought eventual fan-favourite Tyler Motte to Vancouver.
The Sharks are certainly in a rebuild phase after finishing with the fourth-worst record in the league this past season. They’ve shipped out Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and are clearly putting an added focus on developing the young talent they possess.
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