Has Thomas Milic solidified his case as the go-to goaltender for Canada for the rest of the World Juniors?
In a word, perhaps.
The Coquitlam goaltender notched the national under-20 squad's first win at the 2023 tournament in an 11-2 victory over Germany yesterday (Dec. 28), improving the host team's record of 1-1.
Milic stopped 14 of 16 shots between the pipes in Halifax's Scotiabank Centre.
This followed an 18-save back-up performance on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), coming in relief of fellow Canadian netminder Benjamin Gaudreau who gave up five goals in Canada's 5-2 opening loss to Czechia.
As a result, Milic's two appearances currently have him fourth among starting World Junior goalies with a 1.36 goals-against average (GAA), per IIHF, and a .923 save percentage (SV%).
The Seattle Thunderbird is now awaiting to see if he'll start in Canada's third preliminary match against Austria today (Dec. 29) at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time.
If yes, it'll be Milic's eighth career international start in a maple leaf sweater.
He's also hoping to win a second gold medal after helping Canada claim the 2021 under-18 world hockey championships title.
Meanwhile, fellow B.C. teammate Connor Bedard put on a clinic in posting three goals and seven points on Wednesday.
