The Winnipeg Jets have signed their 2023 fifth-round draft pick (151st overall) Thomas Milic on a three-year, entry-level contract. The 21-year-old goaltender will carry an average annual value (AAV) of $841,700 annually beginning in the 2024-25 season. He will be a restricted free agent (RFA) when his deal expires in the 2026-27 season.
The Coquitlam, B.C. native played 33 games for the Manitoba Moose in the AHL posting a win-loss record of 19-9-2 with one shutout, a 2.72 goals-against average (GAA), and a 0.900 save percentage (SV%). In his final 19 games with the Moose, he won 14 games and was named the AHL Player of the Week during the week ending March 17th, 2024.
Milic started in the ECHL where he made his professional debut in 2023-24 for the Norfolk Admirals. He posted a win-loss record of 11-3-2 with two shutouts, a 2.45 GAA and a 0.908 SV%. He won ECHL Goaltender of the Week during the week ending October 29th, 2023. Milic also played in the ECHL All-Star Game.
Representing Team Canada at the 2023 Spengler Cup, Milic saw one game where stopped 16 shots and let in two goals. He also represented Canada in the 2023 World Junior Championship where he won a Gold Medal and posted a perfect win-loss record of 5-0-0 complimented with a 1.76 GAA and a 0.923 SV%.
Milic also saw a lot of success for the Seattle Thunderbirds during the 2022-23 season. He posted an impressive win-loss record of 27-3-1 which led them to the 2023 WHL Championship and finishing second in the 2023 Memorial Cup. During Milic’s 2022-23 season, he posted a 2.08 GAA and a 0.928 SV%, was named the MVP of the WHL playoffs, won the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL’s Goaltender of the Year, and was selected to the CHL’s First All-Star Team.
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