Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jan Golicic will be moving to Connecticut next season, as he's committed to Quinnipiac University for the foreseeable future.
By committing to play collegiate hockey, Golicic ensured that the Lightning will retain his rights moving forward. The 19-year-old defenseman would have been eligible to re-enter the NHL Draft this summer if he remained in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League without signing an entry-level contract.
The Lightning selected Golicic in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. A shutdown defenseman with a large 6-foot-6 frame, he's going to take some time to be NHL-ready, but he's taken strides forward since being drafted.
After two and a half seasons with the Gatineau Olympiques, Golicic had the best offensive production of his QMJHL career when he was traded to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for the second half of the 2025-26 season. As a member of the Armada, the Slovenian defenseman scored four goals and had 29 points in 28 games.
In June of 2025, Alex Wyatt of Dobber Prospects wrote: "Goličič completed his sophomore season in the QMJHL with an offensively quiet four goals, 31 assists and 35 points in 58 games. He is not and won’t be an offensive dynamo at any level, but is the type of towering, smothering defenseman that every NHL team needs. He is likely a few seasons away from professional hockey, and can use the development time to hone his mobility and reads and increase his chance to make the Lightning’s blueline in the future."