Winnipeg Jets 2023 5th Round Draft Pick (151st overall): Thomas Milic

That’s a name familiar to folks in Winnipeg who watched goalie Thomas Milic and his Seattle Thunderbirds defeat the Winnipeg Ice. His numbers from this season were 33 games played with a 2.08 GAA and a .928 save% with 4 shutouts and went 27-3-1 in the regular season. In the playoffs he had a 1.95 GAA and a .933 save% going 16-3-0 on way to winning a WHL Championship for Seattle.

One guy who is likely very happy right now is Jets 2020 6th rounder Tyrel Bauer who just completed his first season as a pro with the Moose of the AHL and was teammates with Milic in Seattle for a long time.

Here are the rankings as of Elite Prospects:
Ranked #173 by FCHOCKEY
Ranked #131 by DAILY FACEOFF
Ranked #153 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY
Ranked #28 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Goalies)
Ranked #142 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Here was the assessment from EP:
“He doesn’t come out to aggressively challenge in order to take away space, but rather uses his speed and impressive footwork control to constantly keep up with where the play seems to be headed; he doesn’t necessarily make the flashiest saves, but he also prevents himself from needing to recover by staying on the more conservative side with his depth overall.”

From draft expert Chris Peters:
“Thomas Milic finally gets drafted in 3rd year. It’s been a long road, but the Winnipeg Jets get the guy who won World Junior and WHL titles as a starting goalie. Even his backup went before him in the draft, but he earned his selection today. Size is the concern, but he competes.”

From Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet:
“Everywhere he goes he puts up numbers. Under 17 save% is .925, Under 18 save% is up at .932, goes to the World Juniors and save% again up at .928.”

WHL Highlight Reel: