'A hard-working team which will show up every night'

Depth and balance: those are two of the words used to describe this year’s edition of the Langley Thunder Junior A squad.

“We’ve added at multiple positions, so I feel like depth is one of our strengths in the organization, and that also makes us a very well-rounded team,” said Ryan Williams, the team’s assistant general manager and director of lacrosse operations.

In 2022, the Thunder had their most successful season ever, finishing 10-4 (.714) and advancing to the BC Junior A Lacrosse League championship series. But after taking a step back in 2023 – they went 5-15-1 (.262) – the Thunder are aiming for a return to the post-season and one of the league’s two spots at the 2024 Minto Cup Championships, which will be hosted this August in Coquitlam.

Langley kicks off their 2024 season with a road game in Victoria against the Shamrocks on May 11 before playing their home opener at Langley Events Centre the following weekend (May 19, 3:30pm) versus the Nanaimo Timbermen.

“We have so many players who we feel could have breakout years, as well as a lot of returning players, with another year of experience under their belts,” Williams said. “Overall, we feel like we’ve assembled a hard-working team which will show up every night and battle.”

Newly named captain Cody Malawsky (6-2, 170 pounds) is expected to be the team’s offensive catalyst. The left-handed forward was named a league second team all-star in 2022 and in 31 career games over his first three seasons, Malawsky has 44 goals and 106 points with another 35 goals and 77 points in 21 playoff games.

Another player to watch on the left-side will be second-year Bailey Vanichuk (5-8, 155), the Thunder’s leading scorer in 2023 with 21 goals and 47 points. He earned both the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards and was named to the league’s all-rookie team.

Joining them on the left-side will be a pair of players in their first season with the Thunder. Jack Dulong comes west from Nova Scotia and at 6-5 and 205 pounds, who brings not only an ability to score, but also size and physicality and should be able to create space for his teammates with his ability to set picks while Austin Vanichuk (6-0, 140 pounds) is a local product who captained the U17 Team BC squad last summer and was part of a strong Langley U17 team.

On the other side of the floor offensively, a pair of off-season trade acquisitions – Calum Munro and Nathaniel Leroux – are being counted on to bring both experience and scoring from the right side. Munro (6-0, 195 pounds) was the first overall pick in the 2020 BCJALL Draft and has 22 goals and 54 points in 35 career games, all with the Delta Islanders, while Leroux (5-8, 150 points) joins Langley from the Coquitlam Adanacs organization and is entering his fourth year of junior. Playing Tier 1 last season, he had 20 goals – which was second on the Adanacs – with 32 points in a dozen games.

The back end will be anchored by returnees Ethan Quinn (5-8, 182), Graysen Balatti (6-2, 180) and Jaiden Terry (5-11, 165) as well as Govind Saggu (6-0, 175), who joined the team at the trade deadline.

Balatti enters his third year of junior and in 2022 was named the team’s most improved player while Quinn and Terry will be playing their fifth and final seasons of junior. Saggu is a third-year junior.

Also expected to play pivotal roles on the defensive end and in transition are Temeke7 Gottfriedsen (6-0, 180), Ben Gagnon (5-9, 165) and Noah Buchan (5-10, 185).

Gottfriedsen played up front in 2023 and managed a dozen goals and 23 points in 18 games but he will focus on defence/transition for the Thunder after a great season playing that role in the Arena Lacrosse League where he helped the Black Fish capture the West championship.

Gagnon and Buchan were the team most valuable players for their respective teams in 2023, the former with the Junior A squad while the latter spent the season at the Tier 1 level. Gagnon was an offensive threat out of the back gate, finishing with 11 goals and played on both special teams’ units while Buchan was seventh in team scoring despite playing primarily as a defender.

In net, the tandem of Brayden Wandler (5-11, 170) and Deklan Morrison (6-1, 225) will guard the goal. Wandler enters his final season of junior and last year saw him post a .802 save percentage while playing more than 70 percent of his team’s minutes. For his junior career, he has a 10.36 goals against average to go along with a .794 save percentage. Morrison played nearly the equivalent of six games and had a 9.90 GAA and .814 save percentage.

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