Trent Miner
2018-19 Team: Vancouver Giants ( WHL )
Date of Birth: Feb 5 2001 (18 years old)
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 181 lbs.
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Ranked #66 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
Ranked #97 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #6 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Goalies)
I was a little surprised to see the Colorado Avalanche select a goalie in this year’s draft. They chose two last year, one in the third round and one with their final selection. They also selected a goalie the previous two drafts — all of these players are still in the Avs’ system.
Ah, well, it appears Trent Miner may well have been the best player available. He was scouted to go around the fifth round, and he dropped all the way to the seventh.
Miner certainly had a good season last year. He played 32 games, recording a 1.98 goals against average and .924 save percentage. He was teammates with our fourth-overall selection, Bowen Byram.
According to The Hockey Writers, Miner’s biggest attribute is his hockey sense, so this selection starts making sense for Colorado. Here’s what else the site says:
"“He anticipates passes, which allows him to always seem to be in position. He always knows what’s going on in his end, which is a big attribute to have. His puck handling is among the best of his draft class and he plays a very technically-sound game.”"
The site does acknowledge that size and speed aren’t his biggest attributes, and he may need to work on that.
Corey Pronman of The Athletic likes what he sees in Trent Miner:
"“He’s not the biggest goalie, but I like everything else about his game. His hockey sense is outstanding. He reads the play so well with a great awareness of what’s going on around him. Miner never seems out of position. He challenges at the right time and moves with the puck with near perfect timing without much extra movement. He’s not the quickest goalie, which you’d like to see at his size, but he moves around the crease more than fine and can make the tough saves.”"
Pronman does say that this year’s draft had an “above-average goalie crop,” so that might be why Colorado didn’t want to be left out.
Side note: The Calgary Flames picked goalie Dustin Wolf with the #214 selection, which is just three away from the end of the whole draft. He and his whole family were in attendance, and he got the biggest cheer from them when his name was called. It was a touching moment.
The head of Future Considerations’ Western Canadian scouting had this to say of Trent Miner:
Finally, Trent Miner to the Avalanche at 202, our third ranked goalie. Don’t let the draft spot fool you, this kid has an unparalleled mindset and is a highly athletic and technical player. Not sure what caused him to slide but his game is all about consistency @FCHockey
— Justin Froese (@froesehky) June 22, 2019
Athletic, consistent, good hockey sense — again, I see why Colorado might have been drawn.
Here’s Trent Miner in action: