Why the Dallas Stars need to sign Thomas Milic to an AHL contract
By Brian Sweet
The Dallas Stars have been a little busy since they were eliminated from the Western Conference Finals. They have resigned Texas Stars captain Curtis McKenzie, Fredrik Karlstrom, and Alexander Petrovic to new AHL deals for next season. The one position that the Stars need to start building depth at is the goaltending position. I know you probably think I’m crazy for saying that but it’s true. There is one goaltender the Stars need to sign to an AHL Deal and that’s Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Thomas Milic.
We ❤️ Thomas Milic. @SeattleTBirds | #NHLDraft | #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/gXT3MLjmJU
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 5, 2023
Thomas Milic has been one of the top goaltenders in the WHL this season. He is the main reason why the ThunderBirds represented the WHL in the Memorial Cup this season. he ended the tournament with a .934 save percentage and a 1.76 GAA.
He also won the WHL Del Wilson Award for the top goaltender in the league. After going undrafted in the NHL in 2021 and 2022, he is eligible to be signed right now due to NHL Draft rules. Right now I feel he is a goaltender that no team is talking about right now. Dallas Stars Owner Tom Gaglardi watched Milic shut down the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL Playoffs and the Memorial Cup. I’m surprised that Gaglardi hasn’t considered signing him yet to an AHL deal.
The main reason why the Stars need to take a look at him is due to the goaltender situation in a couple of seasons. Current backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood is an unrestricted free agent after this season and I know it pains Pete DeBoer to play Matt Murray (the young one). We also don’t know if Adam Scheel or Remi Poirier will pan out at the NHL level. 2022 5th-round pick Maxim Mayorov might end up being a project that doesn’t come to fruition.
For being a short goaltender, Milic is very swift and agile and can quickly get from post to post in time to make a save. After watching him help his team reach the 2023 Memorial Cup Finals last Sunday, The Stars have to give Milic a shot. If that means that the Stars end up signing him to an amateur tryout contract or an entry-level deal, so be it.
Even though he’s only 6’0 and shorter than Jake Oettinger, Thomas Milic could be the solution for the third goaltender position so Oettinger isn’t playing 81 games next season if Wedgewood gets injured. If Milic turns out to be a bust, so be it. At least the Stars would be proactive in fixing the looming goaltending problem they face down the road.