It’s kind of hard to believe, but Sonny Milano still doesn’t have his first NHL goal.
He’s played just seven games over two seasons in the regular season along with a playoff game last season, so it’s not like he’s had the most chances. Still, for someone who was drafted 16th overall in the 2014 NHL draft largely because of his offensive capabilities, it’s a number that has to rankle the New York native.
Another thing that is kind of hard to believe: Milano is just 21 years old as he tries to break into the NHL as a regular for the first time during this year’s training camp.
In other words, there’s still plenty of time for Milano to become what he can become. And coming off a season last year in which he led the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 63 games, he feels like he’s on the right path to fulfilling that promise.
“I had a pretty decent year last year in the American League,” the winger said after Friday night’s preseason game, in which he had an assist for the Blue Jackets. “I feel confident, and this is my fourth camp coming in. I definitely think it’s my time to show myself here.”
Whether it was when he had 86 points in 58 games with the U.S. National Under-18 team, when he had 68 points in 50 games a year later in 2014-15 with the Plymouth Whalers, or when he was delighting YouTube audiences with his skills, Milano has always been known as someone who presents tantalizing skill when the puck is on his stick.
But to many, what happens when the puck is away from Milano has been his biggest bugaboo. Specifically, making sure the puck doesn’t end up in his own net even when it’s not going in the other team’s has been a focus point where Milano can improve.
For example, when deputized to join the squad for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, Milano was gifted just seven shifts for a total of 6:47 of time on the ice.
“He’s had a really good camp so far,” Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella said. “He still needs to learn. Safe is death here, but that doesn’t mean, ‘I’m going to try to make those plays every time. I don’t care what the situation in the game is, I’m going to put it through his legs and around his stick.’
“He still has a little bit to learn in understanding game situations and having structure within his game.”
In his next breath, though, Tortorella praised the skill Milano brings to the table, and it’s clear he’s at a different level offensively than many of his peers when the puck is on his stick.
Might as well call Sonny Milano, "Santana", he is so darn smooth.
— SB (@Sam_Blazer) September 24, 2017
Still 2-0 Preds.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/drlPLcpIMx
“You have to be really careful as a coach when you’re dealing with an offensively gifted player,” said Tortorella, who has had a similar balancing act with some other young, talented players in his Blue Jackets tenure. “There’s a fine line there in letting him be himself when you’re teaching the structure and the discipline in game situations.
“So that’s the fine line we have, and I think the first thing is he has to listen and take it in and try to apply it to his game – not just say, ‘Yeah, yeah, OK,’ and not apply it. He has to try to apply it, and then there’s a give and take as you keep going through.”
For his part, Milano feels like he’s making progress when it comes to the defensive side of his game.
“I felt confidence on defense, so I think it’s just important just knowing what you’re doing,” he said after Friday night’s loss to Pittsburgh. “I went over a couple of videos with coach before the game. He just showed me everything and I felt pretty confident out there.”
Where Milano falls on the depth chart to begin the season could depend on just how much the Blue Jackets feel they need to add scoring depth after seeing a number of talented veterans leave the team during the offseason.
It will also likely depend on which other young players push for time on the ice, but after a strong year at the AHL level last year, Milano could be the next Blue Jackets’ draft pick to force his way into the lineup this season.
“He’s improved in the two years I’ve been here,” Tortorella said. “He’s stronger. I think he’s in better shape this year. I think a player’s mind-set is an important thing. I think he thinks he can play in this league, and that’s important.
“That’s all good stuff, but there’s still a bunch of stuff that we have to work through and are trying to get it on the right road of what we think he can be as a player.”
