Breakaway on SI

Rangers Captain Wears C for First Time in Islanders Loss

The New York Rangers did show promise for the future by finally unveiling a center's first on-ice performance of the year and in a captain's sweater.

Jennifer Streeter

Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) clears the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) clears the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images
In this story:

Hey there, captain. Unfortunately for the New York Rangers, their third game of the preseason resulting in them not being able to hold onto the lead and losing to city-foe, the New York Islanders, 5-4. Fortunately for the fans though, it provided them with their very first look of J.T. Miller on the ice this year.

And sure, seeing Miller is great. But this time it was extra special as they got to the "C" on his sweater after being named captain on Sept. 17.

Miller was brought back to the franchise in January of 2025. He was named captain after he finished his partial stint back with 32 games played, 13 goals, 22 assists for 35 points featuring an average of 1.09 points per game, which was up from the 0.88 points per game he registered in Vancouver.

Jacob Trouba was the former captain before he was traded away to the Anaheim Ducks — he was recently reunited with former Blueshirt Chris Kreider who also found his way to California.

Miller concluded play against the Islanders and in his captain's jersey for the very first time with one goal and a TOI of 21:21. But, the Rangers still gave up three unanswered goals in the third quarter — which secured their loss.

His goal came at the 9:43 mark of the second period on the power-play, letting it fly from the center.

"We're pleased to announce J.T. Miller as the new captain of the New York Rangers," General Manager and President Chris Drury previously said. "Since his arrival last season, J.T. immediately became a leader for our group and exemplifies how we want to conduct ourselves both on and off the ice. Congratulations to J.T. and his entire family on an incredibly meaningful achievement and we're confident he will continue to represent our organization with class, commitment, and integrity."

10 Blueshirts finished with at least a point on the statsheet; Conor Sheary and Vincent Trocheck finished play at Madison Square garden with two points each.

Two netminders also saw action in the crease across Jonathan Quick and Dylan Garand.

Miller's first showing on-ice this year also saw him tally the third most minutes of the game for the Rangers, he only trailed veteran Mika Zibanejad (22:25) and defenseman Adam Fox (24:55), showing that Miller is going to have plenty of time both on and off the ice to provide a leadership role to the roster.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Published
Jennifer Streeter
JENNIFER STREETER

Jennifer Streeter graduated with a B.A. in journalism from Texas A&M and received her Master of Science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. At both schools, she focused on an emphasis of sports reporting. A former athlete herself, "Jenny" was a varsity soccer player and comes from a family who participated in NCAA athletics. She has covered everything from the 2025 Hughes Bowl, SEC football, Ivy League athletics, the 2023 ALCS and the 2023 World Series, the WNBA, and much more.

Home/News Feed Page