Malawsky to wear 'C'

The leadership group is set as the Langley Thunder prepare to embark on the 2024 BC Junior A Lacrosse League season.

Cody Malawsky will wear the ‘C’ for the Thunder and be flanked by assistant captains Graysen Balatti, Ben Gagnon, Ethan Quinn and Bailey Vanichuk. Balatti and Gagnon will wear their letters for away games while Quinn and Vanichuk will do so for the team’s home games. Malawsky, Balatti and Gagnon are from Maple Ridge, Quinn is from Pitt Meadows and Vanichuk is from Langley.

Balatti, Malawsky and Quinn all served as assistant captains for the Thunder in 2023.

“Our leadership group this year has a great balance of skill, size, age and experience,” said head coach Adam Smith. “Each of our captains has demonstrated leadership abilities both on and off the floor.

“It’s exciting to be surrounded by such hard-working and mature young men dedicated to helping us achieve our goals.”

This is Malawsky’s fourth season with Langley and he rejoins the Thunder organization after finishing the 2023 campaign with the Coquitlam Adanacs, helping the team win the BCJALL championship and represent the league at the Minto Cup.

“Cody is the type of player who will put the team on his back and do whatever he can to make us successful,” Smith said. “He is a leader among his teammates and is respected around the league.”

This is the first time Malawsky has served as his team’s captain at any level, although he has been an assistant previously, including with the Thunder.

“I very honoured to be selected captain and follow in the footsteps of Matt Abbott and Stuart Phillips,” Malawsky said. “Playing alongside them, I learned how to be a good teammate and to play loose.”

Malawsky described his leadership style as being a motivator “who likes to get the boys pumped up.”

Selected first overall in 2021 by Langley out of the Ridge Meadows Lacrosse Association, Malawsky – a left-handed forward -- has 36 goals and 91 points in 27 regular season games and an additional 19 goals and 49 points in 13 playoff games in a Thunder uniform.

Gagnon is from the same draft class as Malawsky after he was chosen in the second round, 12^th overall. Gagnon has 16 goals and 32 points in 30 games and provided an offensive threat out of the back end who also played on both special team’s units. He was chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player

Balatti was named the team’s Most Improved Player and saw his role on the team’s defensive unit increase as the season progressed. He was selected in the first round at seventh overall by the Thunder in 2022.

Quinn was a first-round pick (eighth overall) by Langley in the 2020 draft and has proven to be a steady presence on the team’s back end.

A right-handed forward, Vanichuk led the Thunder with 21 goals, 26 assists and 47 points in 18 games in 2023 and won both the Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year last summer in Langley’s team awards.

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