Milan Lučić

Milan Lučić (born June 7, 1988 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted out of the Western Hockey League (WHL) 50th overall by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He captured a Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants in 2007 during his major junior career.

Early life
Lučić was born on June 7, 1988 in Vancouver to Serbian parents Dobrivoje Lučić and Snežana Kesa with a younger brother named Nikola and an older brother named Jovan. His maternal uncle, Dan Kesa, played for the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars. His father, a longshoreman, immigrated from Serbia when he was 27, while his mother arrived in Canada with her family at the age of two. Lučić was diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease, a condition that causes the upper back to curve, at the age of 15. He played minor hockey in Vancouver, but nearly quit hockey all together after being passed up in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft. He was invited to play for the Coquitlam Express of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), but was further demoralized when he initially failed to make the team out of rookie camp. He agreed to play, instead, for the Junior "B" Delta Ice Hawks, but later played his way onto the Express during the season.

Junior
Lučić began playing junior with the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL in 2004–05. In the same season, he made his major junior debut with the Vancouver Giants, his hometown WHL team, playing one game.

After Lučić's first full season with the Giants in 2005–06, in which he helped the team to a WHL title, he was selected 50th overall by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The following season, Lučić emerged as one of the Giants' leaders, finishing first in team scoring with 68 points. He helped take the Giants to game seven of the WHL finals, eventually losing to the Medicine Hat Tigers. However, as Vancouver was chosen to host the 2007 Memorial Cup, Lučić and the Giants met Medicine Hat once more in the tournament final, capturing the CHL title on home ice. He finished the tournament tied for the lead in scoring with teammate Michal Řepík (Řepík, with more goals, was awarded the Ed Chynoweth Trophy) and earned the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP.

Boston Bruins
In the off-season, Lučić signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins on August 2, 2007. He had been chosen as the Giants' next team captain, but made the Bruins 2007–08 opening roster out of training camp. He played in his first NHL game on October 5, 2007, a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars in which he fought Brad Winchester. His first goal came against the Los Angeles Kings a week later, on October 12. After speculation that he would be returned to the Giants for further development, Lučić made enough of an impression during his first set of games with the Bruins, showing grit and consistent willingness to fight (he recorded 13 fighting majors in his rookie season), that they decided to keep him in the lineup. He was chosen to participate in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game and finished his rookie campaign with 8 goals and 27 points. Matched up against the first-seeded Montreal Canadiens in the opening round, Lučić scored his first NHL playoff goal in game three on April 13, 2008.

Early into the 2008–09 season, Lučić recorded his first NHL hat trick and added an assist in a 5-4 win against the Atlanta Thrashers on October 25, 2008. Later that week, Lučić made a much-publicized return to his hometown in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, which featured a picture of him as a baby on the back page of the Vancouver Province newspaper. Earlier in the year, Lučić's 2007 Memorial Cup ring was stolen from his home in East Vancouver on July 10, 2008. In a private ceremony before the game, he was presented with a replacement ring by the Vancouver Giants ownership. Lučić was chosen to his second YoungStars Game in January, however, he did not compete for the sophomores in Montreal due to an undisclosed upper body injury. Near the end of the season, on April 4, 2009, Lučić was awarded the Bruins' Eddie Shore Award for hustle and determination.

Entering the playoffs with the Bruins as the first seed in the Eastern Conference, Lučić received a one-game suspension after delivering a cross-check to the head of Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre in game two of the first round. While the Bruins argued that Lučić used predominantly his glove, rather than his stick, the league held to its decision.

On October 6, 2009, it was announced that Lucic was signed to a three-year contract extension with the Bruins, to go through the 2012-13 NHL season.

International play
In the off-season following Lučić's Memorial Cup MVP performance, he was named captain of Team Canada for the 2007 Super Series against Russia. The series, an eight-game competition between Canada and Russia's under-20 teams, commemorated the 35th anniversary of the historic 1972 Summit Series. He recorded three assists as Team Canada won the series 7-0-1.

Awards
Major Junior
 * Won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Vancouver Giants in 2006.
 * Won the Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants in 2007.
 * Won the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP) in 2007.
 * Named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team in 2007.

NHL
 * Named to the NHL YoungStars Game in 2008 and 2009*
 * Recipient of the Boston Bruins Seventh Player Award in 2008.
 * Recipient of the Boston Bruins Eddie Shore Award (hustle and determination) in 2009.

*did not play - injured