Bruins vow player-vetting overhaul after Miller signing

By The Associated Press

Boston Bruins newly hired head coach Jim Montgomery, center, displays a Bruins jersey while standing with team owner Jeremy Jacobs, left, and CEO Charlie Jacobs, right, during a news conference, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Boston. The Bruins hired Montgomery at the start of the 2022 season as their new coach, giving the hockey lifer another chance at an NHL head-coaching job less than three years since he lost his first one. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Steven Senne]

BOSTON (AP) — An independent review of the Boston Bruins’ player-vetting process found gaps in the system that led to the signing of a prospect who was convicted of assault in 2016 for bullying a Black classmate with developmental disabilities in middle school. The team said it would overhaul the process that collapsed when it gave Mitchell Miller an entry-level deal last month even though the Arizona Coyotes previously relinquished their rights after drafting him in 2020. Bruins President Cam Neely said afterward the team “dropped the ball” and Boston rescinded its offer after harsh criticism around the hockey community, including the Bruins own locker room. The Bruins commissioned an independent review by a law firm led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.