Jets goalie scout Drew MacIntyre discusses what’s next for goalie prospect Thomas Milic
The Winnipeg Jets finished their development camp late last week and we sat down with Goalie scout Drew MacIntyre to discuss how high-end prospect Thomas Milic looked and what’s next for the goaltender.
The 21-year-old was stellar in his first pro season with an ECHL record of 11-3-2 with a goals against average of 2.45 along with a .908 save percentage.
His play helped him earn a spot with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL for the second half of the season in which he secured a 19-9-2 record with a 2.72 average and a .900 save percentage.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBBTmluak7U[/embed]
He helped propel the Moose into the playoffs before they were the first team eliminated at the hands of the Texas Stars.
There’s a lot of hope for the New Westminster native and that he will turn into the next franchise goalie as reigning Vezina trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is 31 years old and will start to slow down.
For this offseason, MacIntyre is focused on keeping Milic in the form he’s in and taking a step forward rather than backwards.
“This is kind of the first year that he can have a full off-season and so I'm really challenging him to make the most of that and take a step,” he said “He had an awesome first year pro and now it’s time for him to not take a step backwards and to go forwards.”
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C8sah1LSJMZ[/embed]
Milic has continually been on successful teams thanks to his efforts and has made it tougher for him to get time for training in the off-season. It’s certainly not a bad problem to have but MacIntyre noted that Milic will still need to get his reps in as most goalies don’t take the jump to the NHL until they’ve made at least 150 starts at the pro level.
He currently sits at 51 which means it still may be a while before we see him in a Jets uniform on a nightly basis unless Milic forces the issue just like he did with the Moose. As for now, he will be spending his off-season before training camp with his own personal goalie coaches that will work in conjunction with MacIntyre and the coaching staff.
“Milic and other goaltenders have their own goalie coaches in the summer, who I speak with in their hometowns,” he said “It’s important that we're all on the same page. Milic, his personal goalie coach and myself.”