Milan Lucic is back playing pro hockey but not in the NHL
Milan Lucic is not giving up on his NHL comeback.
The 37-year-old power forward looked like he was going to get a chance to return to the league this year after inking a PTO with the St. Louis Blues in August, and he looked decent in training camp. However, an injury ruined his chances of signing an actual NHL contract, at least for now.
It appears that Lucic is now healthy enough to get back into game action, and the Blues may still be interested, but his journey will begin in the AHL. The Springfield Thunderbirds, the the Blues’ AHL affiliate, signed him to a pro tryout contract on Tuesday.
Once he draws into the lineup, it will be Lucic’s first professional game in over two years.
The T-Birds sign F Milan Lucic to a professional tryout (PTO) pic.twitter.com/mfxIWdKOKm
— Springfield Thunderbirds (@ThunderbirdsAHL) November 4, 2025
Lucic appeared in four preseason games with the Blues this year, notching a goal and an assist in the process.
The big man left the NHL shortly after making his return to the Boston Bruins at the start of the 2023-24 season. Lucic managed just four games with the Bruins before an injury sidelined him, and he was arrested for a domestic incident that involved his wife, Brittany, calling the police to report an alleged assault.
Among the claims made against Lucic was that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident, had pulled her hair, and attempted to choke her. Brittany claimed that Lucic had become irritated with her after he could not find his phone.
Lucic took an indefinite leave from the Bruins during this time and eventually had the case against him dropped in February 2024. He required permission from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to return to the league, which he seemingly got in the lead-up to this season.
Lucic has never played in the AHL before. He made the jump directly from the WHL’s Vancouver Giants to the NHL back in 2007. He made a name for himself as one of the league’s most intimidating players with the Bruins and has gone on to have stints with all of the LA Kings, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames.
Though he is known for his physicality, the Vancouver native has also been a prolific scorer, amassing 233 goals and 586 points over 1,177 NHL games.