Penticton’s Graham Millar has seen his Western Hockey League career go further than he originally expected.
The Everett Silvertips right winger is in his third WHL season, and played in his 200th regular season game before the start of the playoffs.
“It’s pretty cool to look back and think of all the games I’ve played throughout the three years,” Millar said. “(Playing in game 200) felt like a pretty good accomplishment. I was just trying to get in as many games as I could my first year and stay in the league as long as I could, but it worked out pretty well.”
One of his career highlights came while beating Spokane in double overtime in the playoffs last year.
“Last year we beat Spokane in double overtime to go to the second round, that was definitely one of the cooler moments. And last year we won the U.S. Division, that was pretty special.”
Millar started his career with the Saskatoon Blades, playing one season for them before becoming a member of the Silvertips. This season, he set new career highs in goals (15), assists (16) and points (31).
“I think it has gone pretty well, I had a pretty good year,” he said. “I got a lot of opportunity, they played me on the power play throughout the year.”
The Silvertips swept Spokane in the first round of the WHL Playoffs, and on April 8 they opened the second round against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Everett had six wins and four losses against Seattle in the regular season this year, and Millar is expecting a strong series from both teams.
“We feel pretty good,” said Millar prior to the series. “We’ve had some success against Seattle, but they’re a good team. We got some good confidence from the sweep, and I’m looking forward to having a good series.”
Millar helped the Silvertips take the first game 3-0. He assisted on the final goal. With the series tied at one, Millar and the Silvertips are back in action for Game 3 on Wednesday at home in Xfinity Arena.
Although Millar has one season of WHL eligibility remaining, he isn’t thinking about next year just yet. While he acknowledged it would be special to play for four years, right now he’s just focused on the playoffs and reaching the Memorial Cup.
