Who is Thomas Milic? Details on Canada’s undrafted goalie making waves at the 2023 World Juniors

When Canada entered the 2023 World Juniors, the team had no clear No. 1 goalie for the tournament. 

Oh, how quickly that has changed. 

Thomas Milic has taken over the Canadian crease and run away with it. The undrafted goaltender from the WHL has been stellar for the defending champs, and most recently posted a 43-save performance in the team’s semifinal win over the USA. 

Milic was not Canada’s supposed first option. Head coach Dennis Williams went with Benjamin Gaudreau in the team’s opener in Canada, but the Sharks prospect was pulled in the second after surrendering five goals to Czechia. Since then, Milic has played in all but one contest for Canada. 

Canada will once again call upon Milic to backstop the team to victory, as the team prepares to go for back-to-back gold against Czechia, whom they lost 5-2 to on Dec. 26th. (Note: Milic did not surrender any goals to Czechia in that contest.)

MORE: Team Canada schedule, scores, roster at 2023 World Juniors

The gold-medal game is on Thursday night. 

Thomas Milic scouting report

Milic is a tad undersized for goaltenders. He is listed at 6-0, 174 lbs, putting him on the smaller size in this age of goaltending. 

What Milic does have is impressive speed and footwork. He has flashed his ability to move horizontally quite well across the crease to make saves, which speaks to his athletic ability. However, he is not overly aggressive, constantly staying in position to quickly recover if need be. 

Milic also handles pressure extremely well. It was evident during his WHL playoff run in 2022 and has been at the forefront of his 2023 World Juniors performance. The mental game is a big part for goaltenders and Milic has shown time and again he can answer the bell when the moments get larger. 

This is what FC Hockey’s Donesh Mazloum had to say about Milic in June of 2022. 

When all cylinders are firing — this game, his combination of focus, play-reading ability, and competitive fire — he is borderline unbeatable. The ease with which he was reading the play and arriving square to the puck before a shot was made was noticeably frustrating the opposition…The strengths of Milic’s game are in his mental processing, predictive skill, steadiness of thought, and compete level. These more intangible facets are harder to hang your hat on and take a swing on as a draft pick. Having seen him consistently outperform more hyped and prototypical goaltending prospects since he was 14-years-old, I think I lean to Milic being one of the exceptions to the rule

What team does Thomas Milic play for?

Milic is the goaltender for the Seattle Thunderbirds, which is part of the WHL. 

He is in his fourth season with the team after he was drafted by Seattle in the third round of the 2018 WHL Draft. The 19-year-old took over as the team’s starter last season and has held that role through this year. 

What NHL team drafted Thomas Milic?

Despite being eligible for the last two drafts, Milic was not drafted by an NHL team. 

While it was not a shock to see the goaltender passed over in the 2021 draft, it was a bit surprising to see no one take a flier on him in 2022. Milic was coming off a sensational run in the WHL playoffs with the Thunderbirds and had raised his draft stock immensely from the year prior. 

Is Thomas Milic eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft?

Milic will turn 20 years old in April of 2023. Therefore, he is not eligible for the 2023 draft, as all North American players must be under 20 years old by December of the draft year in order to be selected at the draft. 

However, he is considered an undrafted free agent, so any NHL team can sign him to a contract at any point.