Scott Billeck is a sports writer for the Winnipeg Sun. He covers a lot of the action in Winnipeg, from the NHL Jets to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL and, until his month, the Winnipeg ICE of the WHL. I had the chance to meet Scott in person when the T-Birds were in Winnipeg back in May, playing the ICE in the WHL Championship Series.
He came to interview the T-Birds Brad Lambert, The Jets 2022 first round draft pick who had played the first half of last season in Winnipeg with the Moose. Scott came across as a friendly matter-of-fact reporter. A straight shooter as they say.
So when he posted a tweet yesterday, after the 2023 NHL Draft concluded in Nashville, regarding what the Jets plans could be for Thomas Milic, I took notice.
Of course, as we all know by now, Winnipeg selected Milic in the fifth round of the draft. Billeck posted the following: "G Thomas Milic (5th round pick) will turn pro next season, Mark Hillier, #NHLJets director of scouting, told reporters in Nashville."
I have no reason to do anything but take Hillier seriously. So, if that's the case, Milic has played his last game as a Thunderbird. Now, there is always the possibility that, after NHL free agency and training camp Hillier and the Jets change their minds and send Milic back to the Junior ranks. As a 20-year old, he has one more year of eligibility left at this level. The reality is, Milic has nothing left to prove at this level.
Maybe the only question then is where does Milic begin his pro career? Do the Jets put him in Winnipeg on the roster of the AHL Moose? Do they stick him somewhere in the ECHL? I don't believe the Jets have an ECHL affiliate but they can always make arrangements to find him a spot with an ECHL team.
Personally, I'd prefer if he could avoid the ECHL. It can be a graveyard for players trying to push their way up through the pro ranks towards the NHL. If he can't stick with the AHL Moose, he might be better served back in the WHL, whether that's with Seattle or another team. But there is another part of me that says I'd rather not see him in another WHL jersey. That his first and last game in the WHL and every game in between was as a T-Bird.
Which brings up another question. Where does Milic rank among goalies in franchise history? Let's start by saying as far as Thunderbirds playoff goalies, there is no one better. He has nearly double the postseason wins (30) as the next guy on the list, Carl Stankowski (16), the only other goalie in T-bird history to backstop the franchise to a WHL Championship.
His postseason goals against average of 2.14 is second only to Landon Bow (1.96) among goalies who played in a minimum of 15 playoff games (Bow played in 18 postseason games with the Thunderbirds). His .927 playoff save percentage is also second only to Bow and his .929. And no one has more postseason shutouts in T-Birds history than Milic and his three.
But what about regular season goalies? Where does Milic stack up against them in franchise history? It's hard to compare because of different eras. Back in the 1980s and '90s things were a little more wide open and there was much more offense. Back then, goalies with GAA well above 3.00 were considered elite. Danny Lorenz won 99 games in goal for Seattle with a career GAA of 4.78
Meanwhile, in his T-Birds tenure, Milic also shared the crease with another pretty good netminder in his own right, Scott Ratzlaff. That, along with World Juniors participation and the Covid pandemic limited Milic to just 91 regular season games over his four year career in Kent. As a result Milic was in goal for 5,376 regular season minutes as a Thunderbird.
By comparison, Calvin Pickard played 241 games in net for Seattle and is the all-time franchise leader in minutes played with 14,025. Lorenz got into 224 games and Doug Bonner was between the pipes in 176 games for the Thunderbirds. Cory Rudkowsky and Ken Hodges all played well over 100 regulars season games in goal for Seattle.
So here is where Milic ranks in franchise history in a number of categories among Thunderbirds goalies:
Wins
1. Lorenz 99 (224 games)
2. Pickard 91 (241 games)
3. Bridges 74 (138 games)
4. Rudkowsky 73 (159 games)
5. Milic 66 (91 games)
Goals Against Average (Minimum 40 games)
1. Yeomans 2.12 (55 games)
2. Bridges 2.35 (138 games)
2. Milic 2.35 (91 games)
4. Kozun 2.40 (84 games)
5. Helenius 2.43 (41 games)
Save Percentage (Minimum 40 Games)
1. Kozun .922 (84 games)
2. Milic .917 (91 games)
3. Yeomans .917 (55 games)
4. Helenius .915 (41 games)
5. Bridges .914 (138 games)
Shutouts
1. Bridges 20
2. Pickard 12
3. Kozun 8
4. Milic 8
5. DeSerres 7
So, if indeed, Milic's Thunderbirds career is over, I think it is safe to rank him as one of the best, if not the best goalie in franchise history. I think it's close between he and Bryan Bridges. Both are at or near the top of so many goaltending categories. But I would give the edge to Milic who has a World Junior Gold Medal, a WHL Playoff MVP award as well as an Ed Chynoweth Cup. Additionally, he has three of the franchise's four wins in Memorial Cup play.
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