Milano is on the brink of a substantial role in the NHL. The Blue Jackets nabbed him with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he’s fashioned 83 points (32 goals, 51 assists) in 127 AHL games for Springfield and Lake Erie/Cleveland over the past three seasons. A fleet-footed winger with first-rate stickhandling ability, Milano has appeared in seven NHL games to date but his garnering a full-time role largely depends on how well he can tighten up his defensive play. Still, Milano remains a quality speculative pick in redraft leagues, and he’s long been keeper material.
Milano has great pedigree as the No. 16 overall pick in 2014 and a fine scorer for both the U.S. National Under-18 Team and the OHL's Plymouth Whalers in past seasons, but his first campaign in the AHL was a little slow -- 14 goals and 31 points in 54 games. He did, however, get a three-game stint with Columbus, notching his first NHL point in that span. Milano will probably spend much of this season developing in the AHL ranks, leaving his value restricted mostly to keeper formats.
Milano was a bright spot for the otherwise largely brutal Plymouth Whalers of the OHL last year, as the spectacularly talented youngster led his team in points (by 17!) despite playing only 50 of 68 regular-season contests thanks to the two facial fractures he sustained in a prospects game during the Jackets' training camp. His total of 22 goals and 68 points doesn't jump off the page by junior hockey standards, but it's legitimately possible that he was the only player on that team with an NHL future. His more immediate future will most likely be a season spent mostly with AHL Springfield, where he picked up five assists in a 10-game sample at the end of last year.
The 16th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Milano's game is pure offense at this point, but he brings an electricity to that end of the rink that few prospects possess. He'll need to learn to find his way around in his own zone before he'll earn a place on a Blue Jackets' roster built to play a relentless, end-to-end style, but if he does round out his game, Milano's speed and top-shelf skill could provide a fantasy windfall.
