The Vancouver Canucks had a familiar face on the ice with them, as JT Miller skated with the team for their morning skate ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

The Canucks forward has been out of the lineup after taking a leave of absence from the team on November 19th. However, he has been skating away from the team with Skills and Skating Coach Jason Krog since the club returned from their six-game road trip.

Watch here as Miller takes regular line rushes and chats with Head Coach Rick Tocchet and regular linemate Brock Boeser, courtesy of Jeff Paterson:

Miller has missed nine games, with the club holding a 5-3-1 record in his absence. Despite suiting up for morning skate, the forward is not expected to make his return tonight. Miller has had success against the Blues since joining the Canucks, finding the scoresheet in eight of 11 games, scoring five goals and eight assists for 13 points.

During his absence, Miller has had support from the whole organization.

Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin spoke with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre shortly after his absence was announced and spoke highly of the forward’s decision:

“First and foremost, I’m very proud of JT for seeking help,” Allvin said. “I don’t know if he said it, but I believe that he’s going to be a better person, better teammate and better hockey player when he returns. And we sure miss him. He’s such an impactful hockey player, and I think we have and [the] league has all the right support to help him.”

While Miller won’t be returning tonight, the Canucks are getting other reinforcements back as goaltender Thatcher Demko is expected to make his long-awaited season debut, as he was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate. Miller will have the opportunity to return to full practice on Wednesday, with the possibility of returning to game action Thursday when the Canucks host the Florida Panthers.