Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Even in the good times, the challenges come one after another for AHL teams.
Take the Manitoba Moose, who have recovered from a 1-4-1-0 start to put themselves firmly into Central Division contention. A 3-2 win over Chicago on Saturday afternoon extended their winning streak to six games.
“As we’re going, we’re figuring things out,” Moose goaltender Thomas Milic said earlier this week.
But now the Moose have even more to figure out, with the news that had the hockey world chattering on Friday. Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Award and reigning NHL MVP, will be out four to six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery. The Jets recalled Milic from on Friday, and he dressed for Winnipeg’s 4-3 loss to Carolina that night, backing up starter Eric Comrie.
Milic has been an early developmental success story for the Jets organization, and now the third-year pro could be in line for his NHL debut soon.
Milic was passed over twice in the NHL Draft before being selected by Winnipeg in the fifth round in 2023 following a standout season with Seattle in the Western Hockey League, where he went 27-3-1 with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage and earned the league’s top goaltender award. He was also MVP of the WHL playoffs, and took Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
But labels can be tough to shake, at least initially, and Milic is a modest-sized goaltender at six feet and 175 pounds.
And the AHL often proves to be a dramatic step up in competition for young goaltenders, so Milic ended up splitting his first two pro seasons between the Moose and the Norfolk Admirals, their ECHL affiliate. While he struggled with the Moose, a non-playoff team in 2024-25, he did prove that he could more than handle the ECHL. He played 18 games with Norfolk and finished 11-5-2 with a 1.82 GAA and .935 save percentage.
Now with a chance to handle a regular AHL workload with the Moose alongside fellow youngster Domenic DiVincentiis, the 22-year-old Milic has allowed two goals or fewer in five of his past six starts. It has added up to a 5-2-2 record to go with a 2.14 GAA and a .921 save percentage.
Milic’s departure opens more opportunity for DiVincentiis, who had a .906 save percentage in 28 appearances as a rookie with the Moose in 2024-25. And it allows for a return to the AHL for Isaac Poulter, a Winnipeg native who signed with his hometown organization after three seasons with the Utica Comets. Poulter had begun this season with Norfolk.
After their rough start, Manitoba sits just five points behind first-place (and league-leading) Grand Rapids in the Central Division. They continue their six-game homestand when Belleville visits Canada Life Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday.
And now comes the next set of hurdles.