CHL to NHL: WHL champion Milic debuts with Jets

Former Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Thomas Milic made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets Friday night.

In a 5-1 loss to Carolina, Milic made 30 saves.

Across 91 appearances with the T-Birds from 2019-23, Milic starred where he won 60 games and posted a 2.35 GAA and .917 save percentage. In his final season in 2022-23, he went 27-3-2 to earn the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL’s top goaltender and backstopped the Thunderbirds to another Ed Chynoweth Cup and an appearance in the final of the 2023 Memorial Cup.

The 22-year-old also guided Canada to gold at the 2023 World Juniors in Halifax and won gold at the 2021 U18 World Championships.

As a pro, Milic has made 63 appearances in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose and has played 36 games in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals where he was named to the league’s all-star game in 2024.

Winnipeg selected the Coquitlam, B.C., native 151st overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

What dreams are made of 🥺 pic.twitter.com/zTrLO1pAGP

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 28, 2025