Royals add veteran forward Thacker in swap with Hurricanes

The Victoria Royals have added 20-year-old forward Alex Thacker in a deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the Clubs announced Thursday.

In return for the former 64-point man, Lethbridge receives a fourth-round selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.

Thacker, who hails from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., has amassed seven points (1G-6A) so far this season in Lethbridge after setting career bests with 14 goals and 50 assists in 2021-22.

“It’s a tough move to make, but with (Bryan) Thomson being activated from injury reserve we had to get down to three overagers,” said Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt. “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.”

Alex Thacker was originally selected by the Swift Current Broncos in the sixth round of the 2017 WHL Draft and was acquired by Lethbridge in 2019. In 164 WHL regular season contests with the Broncos and Hurricanes, he has totalled 113 points (22G-91A).