Young core and strong veteran group for Junior A Thunder

Goaltender Caleb Khan is back between the pipes for the Langley Junior A Thunder as the team gets set to embark on their 2025 BC Junior A Lacrosse League season. Ryan Molag file photo

The Langley Junior A Thunder enter the 2025 BC Junior A Lacrosse League season with two defining qualities: youth and talent.

This year’s roster features nine rookies and four second-year players—remarkably young for a league where players have up to five years of eligibility. But while the Thunder may be light on experience, they’re loaded with high-end potential.

Leading the wave of fresh faces is a trio of first-round draft picks in Parker Doyle (1^st overall), Cody Todd (2^nd) and Jacob Glass (5^th). Doyle is currently attending prep school in New Jersey, where he suits up for the Lawrenceville School’s varsity lacrosse team.

The Thunder’s new talent pool also includes several homegrown standouts who rose through the Langley Minor Lacrosse Association ranks. Max Goller, Madden Bakatsis, Koji Okuyama, and Mason Eastgate all played key roles on the Langley squad which captured the U17A1 provincial championship last summer.

“We have a young core combined with a strong group of veterans,” said assistant general manager Ryan Williams. “But it’s hard to predict exactly what this team can achieve with so many new faces. Once everyone is back and the roster comes together, we’ll have a better sense. Right now, our goal is to work hard and play consistently every night.”

Despite the influx of youth, Langley returns several key contributors from last season. On offence, Cody Malawsky—currently at the University of Denver—is joined by Austin and Bailey Vanichuk, along with Nathaniel Leroux. Defensively, the team will look to veterans Ben Gagnon, Grayson Balatti and Temeke7 Gottfriedsen to anchor the transition and back-end play.

Between the pipes, Caleb Khan returns for his second season after an impressive rookie campaign split between the Junior Tier 1 and Junior A squads, where he posted a combined .833 save percentage over nearly 16 games.

Adding to the fresh start in Langley is a new coaching staff as Matt Beers takes the helm as head coach, with Curt Malawsky guiding the offence and assistants Jason Goller and Garrett Lewis rounding out the bench. Malawsky is also head coach of the National Lacrosse League’s Vancouver Warriors with Beers a player on that squad.

“The players will have the opportunity to learn from a group of exceptional lacrosse minds,” Williams added.

The team’s leadership group will consist of Cody Malawsky as captain with Bailey Vanichuk and Ben Gagnon as the assistants.

With a promising blend of young talent and veteran leadership, the 2025 Thunder are poised to be one of the league’s most intriguing teams to watch.

The Langley Thunder lacrosse organization consists of Senior A, Junior A and Junior Tier 1 teams who play in the Western Lacrosse Association, BC Junior A Lacrosse League and BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League respectively. All three teams play their home games at Langley Events Centre.

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