Milan Lucic joins Blues’ AHL affiliate on tryout

The Springfield Thunderbirds, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, announced Tuesday they signed forward Milan Lucic to a professional tryout (PTO).

Lucic signed a PTO with the Blues last summer and spent the preseason with the team, but did not sign an NHL contract ahead of the 2025-26 regular season.

The 37-year-old winger last played in the NHL in 2023-24 with the Boston Bruins, but was arrested after four games for assault and battery after allegedly attacking his wife at the time. However, the charges were dropped a few months later.

The instance led to Lucic entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program while the investigation was ongoing.

Through 17 NHL seasons, Lucic, a native of Vancouver, scored 233 goals and recorded 353 assists for 586 points and 1,301 penalty minutes in 1,177 career regular-season games with the Bruins, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.

Lucic has also played in 136 career playoff games, where he scored 29 goals and added 48 assists for 77 points and 229 penalty minutes, helping the Bruins win a Stanley Cup in 2011 and reach another Stanley Cup Final in 2013.

During the Bruins’ 2010-11 championship season, Lucic achieved career highs with 30 goals and 62 points. The 6-foot-3 winger has hit the 50-point mark five times, most recently in 2016-17 with the Oilers.

Taken in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Lucic had a successful junior career with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, his hometown club. In parts of three seasons, Lucic recorded 39 goals and 48 assists for 87 points and 298 penalty minutes in 133 regular-season games, as well as 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 pints and 49 penalty minutes in 42 playoff games.

In 2006, Lucic led the Giants to a WHL Championship, and the following year, he helped the team win a Memorial Cup. He was named tournament MVP in 2007.