Oklahoma forward Miller makes NCAA commitment

The Oklahoma Warriors are pleased to announce that forward Blaise Miller has announced his commitment to play NCAA Division III hockey for the Concordia College Cobbers.

“It was important to me to find a college that I was familiar with and was fairly close to home,” said Miller. “The program has been solid, and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Miller, 20, played a key role in Oklahoma’s championship season, playing in 58 regular season games during the 2022-23 season and recording 23 points (14 goals, 9 assists), and was a cornerstone to the NAHL’s best penalty kill. The 6’0/185 lbs. native of Minto, North Dakota, also scored in the Warrior’s 4-3 Robertson Cup winning game.

“It starts with the coaching and having the right players. We were all respected and it was easy to talk to the coaches, not just about hockey but anything. They wanted the best out of us. Having the right faces in the locker room from a teammate standpoint was huge too because it added to the work ethic. You could be your teammate’s best friend off the ice, but as soon as we were on, we were super competitive working toward the same goal.”

Prior to the 2022-23 season the winger played for the Bismarck Bobcats during the 2021-22 season, a team with connections to Concordia’s roster. In 35 games with the Bobcats, he recorded eight points.

Miller will become the second Warrior to play for the Cobbers, joining Joe Harguindeguy who was named the conference’s rookie of the year for the 2022-23 season.

In addition to Harguindeguy, whom Blaise practiced with while he was in high school and Harguindeguy was a Minot Minotauro, Miller will also be reunited with Grand Forks natives Boe and Hunter Bjorge.

“There are a lot of familiar faces on the team; It’s going to be fun. I really want to focus on being a good student, while also getting a chance to play college hockey.”

Miller plans on studying in the business field, either business management, finance, or a related discipline. While he’s excited for the future, the past year will always be special to him.

“I don’t think I’ve played on a closer team, even compared to the kids I grew up with,” said Miller. “If I could play junior for 5 more years, I’d do it all with the Warriors. Anyone who wants to be treated like a pro on a junior team, they’d be dumb not to try and get to Oklahoma. You can’t ask for a better organization or experience.”

Click here for an updated NAHL to NCAA commitment list