File photo of centre ice at the ENMAX Centre. The Lethbridge Hurricanes have announced that they have traded goaltender Jared Picklyk and forward Alex Thacker, November 17, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

By Justin Goulet

Lethbridge Hurricanes trade Jared Picklyk and Alex Thacker

Nov 18, 2022 | 6:08 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes have announced a couple of roster moves.

The Western Hockey League (WHL) team has traded 2003-born goaltender Jared Picklyk to the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.

Picklyk was originally drafted by Lethbridge with the 148^th pick in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. He appeared in 38 games for the Hurricanes, posting a record of 14-14-2-0 with a 3.53 goals against average (GAA) and a .879 save percentage. Picklyk appeared in a career-high 25 games in the 2021-2022 season, finishing with a record of 10-7-2-0, along with a 3.48 GAA and a .880 save percentage.

So far this season, Picklyk has gone 4-5-0-0 in nine starts for Lethbridge.

General manager of the Hurricanes, Peter Anholt said, “Jared has won us some big games down the stretch last season and was big in helping us make the playoffs.”

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Anholt continued, “He was a key member of our group for the three seasons. We wish Jared all the best moving forward.”

With this latest move, the Hurricanes have two goaltenders: Bryan Thomson and Harrison Meneghin.

THACKER TRADED

The Hurricanes have also traded 2002-born forward Alex Thacker. The 20-year-old has been moved to the Victoria Royals in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.

Thacker was originally taken by Lethbridge at the 2019 WHL Draft from the Swift Current Broncos. He laced up his skates in 162 games for the Hurricanes, collecting 113 points (22 goals and 91 assists), along with 50 penalty minutes.

He set a career high in goals (14), assists (50) and points (64) across 68 games for the Hurricanes during the 2021-2022 season. In four WHL Playoff games, he scored one goal. Last season, Thacker finished eighth in assists in the WHL Eastern Conference.

GM Anholt stated, “It’s a tough move to make, but with [Bryan] Thomson being activated from injury reserve, we had to get down to three overagers.”

He added, “Thacker was a great Hurricane for a long, long time and produced at a very high level for us. We’d like to thank Alex for everything that he’s done as a Hurricane, and we wish him the best moving forward with Victoria.”

Following this move, the Hurricanes are now down to the WHL maximum of three overage players. They include Bryan Thomson, Jett Jones, and Cole Shepard.

Up next for the Lethbridge club is a meeting with the Red Deer Rebels at the ENMAX Centre on Friday, November 18, 2022. The Hurricanes will stay at home on Saturday, November 19 to host the Edmonton Oil Kings before starting a six-game road trip on Tuesday, November 22 against the Winnipeg ICE.

Read more local sports at Lethbridge News Now.