Curt Malawsky is the new head coach of the Langley Thunder. Malawsky takes the reigns of the Senior A Western Lacrosse Association squad, replacing Rod Jensen who stepped down in the beginning of May.
“We are excited to add a coach of Curt’s calibre. His resume speaks for itself: Curt has won at every level, either as a player or coach, and we look forward to seeing him put his stamp on this year’s Thunder squad,” said Langley General Manager Rob Buchan, who made the announcement Monday, May 8.
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While this is Malawsky’s first time coaching in the WLA, he is no stranger to being behind the bench. Malawsky is currently the head coach and assistant general manager of the National Lacrosse League’s Calgary Roughnecks. He won an NLL championship with Calgary in his final season as a player in 2009 and joined the organization following his retirement that summer as associate coach/offensive coordinator and assistant general manager. He is the franchise’s all-time winningest coach and will join the Thunder upon the conclusion of the Calgary Roughnecks’ National Lacrosse League season as the team is preparing for the West Finals this weekend.
His coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.
As a coach, Malawsky has won three Minto Cups (2004, 2005 and 2010) and an NLL Cup (2019) as well as at the international level as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships (now known as the World Lacrosse Box Championships).
Before entering the coaching world, Malawsky had a distinguished playing career which saw him win a Mann Cup, an NLL championship and a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2003 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship.
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A 2015 inductee of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Malawsky has a long history in the game, spending 13 seasons in the Western Lacrosse Association where he was a six-time league all-star. He was also presented the WLA’s Maitland Trophy for sportsmanship, ability and commitment to minor lacrosse four times (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2007).
Malawsky also played for the Thunder organization in the 1997 and 1999 seasons when the team was the North Shore Indians, scoring 76 goals and 157 points in 38 regular season games over the course of those two seasons. In 227 career regular season games, Malawsky had 326 goals and 716 points with another 179 goals and 410 points in 137 playoff games.
WLA Thunder open the 2023 season when they host the Burnaby Lakers at Langley Events Centre on May 24 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets to any of the Thunder home games, click here.
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