Hurricanes Sign Import Picks Malinek and Skadauskas
July 11, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Lethbridge Hurricanes News Release
LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club announced they have signed 2007-born defenceman Tomas Malinek and 2007-born forward Mykolas Skadauskas to Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreements.
Malinek, 17, was selected in the second-round (113th overall) in the import draft. The Praha, Czechia, product appeared in 44 regular season games with the HC Sparta Praha U20 club where he collected 17 points (4g-13a) with 24 penalty minutes and a plus-9 rating. He added four points (1g-3a) and 14 penalty minutes in nine post-season games with the U20 club. Malinek finished third in defenceman scoring for Sparta Praha U20 last year.
The 6'1, 176-pound left-shot defenceman represented Czechia at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton where he totaled two points (1g-1a) in five games earning a silver medal at the tournament. Malinek added six points (1g-5a) with four penalty minutes with the Czechia U18 team in international play before collecting two assists in five games at the 2025 World Under-18 Championships.
Skadauskas, 17, was selected in the third-round (174th overall) by the 'Canes. The Vilnius, Lithuania, product collected 35 points (22g-13a) along with 40 penalty minutes with the IFK Taby HC J18 club in Sweden. He added 24 points (12g-12a) with 14 penalty minutes in 13 regular season games with the Huddinge IK J18 team and five points (3g-2a) with four penalty minutes in three games with the Huddinge IK J20 club during the 2024-2025 season. Skadauskas added one assist in two post-season games with the Huddinge IK J18 team.
The 6'0, 165-pound forward represented Lithuania at the international level at both the under-18 and under-20 levels.
Skadauskas collected 10 points (2g-8a) with six penalty minutes in five games with the Lithuanian team at the D1B World U18 Championships while collecting 12 points (7g-5a) with eight penalty minutes in five games at the U20 level.
Canadian Hockey League clubs will be permitted to carry three import players during the 2025-2026 regular season.
Season Tickets for the 2025-2026 regular season are available for purchase with the Renewal Deadline set for Tuesday, August 12th at 5:00pm. Premium Season Tickets are also available for an additional $250 per seat. Season Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Yates Memorial Theatre and VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.ca. Catch up on all the latest on the Lethbridge Hurricanes by visiting the team's website at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com, and/or follow on Twitter @WHLHurricanes.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 11, 2025
- Hurricanes Sign Import Picks Malinek and Skadauskas - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Johnston, Lemay, & Brown Join Hockey Canada's POE for 2025-26 - WHL
- Giants Sign Czech Defenceman Skok to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement - Vancouver Giants
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