Former Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic is joining the Springfield Thunderbirds for a professional tryout, according to a team announcement on Tuesday morning. Lucic, 37, last played in the NHL for the Bruins in 2023. He had a professional tryout with the St. Louis Blues earlier in 2025, but was injured in preseason and did not make the final roster before the start of the regular season. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in October that they would rehab him and get him back to 100% health, likely reconnecting with him for an in-season tryout. The Thunderbirds are an affiliate of the Blues. Lucic, originally drafted by the Bruins in 2006, helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011. He has also played for the Kings, Oilers, and Flames before returning to the Bruins for a second stint in 2023. Three weeks after being placed on long-term injured reserve that season, he was arrested in Boston on suspicion of assault and battery of his wife. Charges were eventually dropped after Lucic's wife declined to testify against him. Lucic has completed the NHL's player assistance program and has played a total of 1,177 career NHL regular-season games since his debut in 2007, notching 586 points (233 goals and 353 assists) along with 1,301 penalty minutes.
