A former junior star has inked his first pro contract in North America.
On Friday, the Edmonton Oilers announced that the team has signed defenseman Tomas Cibulka to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal is set to begin next season.
Czech out our new defenceman 👀
The #Oilers have signed blueliner Tomas Cibulka to a two-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. nhl.com/oilers/news/re…
Cibulka returns to this side of the pond after spending the past two seasons with HC Motor České Budějovice in the Czech Extraliga. After a solid rookie season, the local kid had a career-best campaign in 2025-26. In 47 games, he posted seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. He added three points in the league’s Wild Card round, as the ninth-seeded České Budějovice lost to HC Kometa Brno in a best-of-five series.
Across his two years with the team, the 21-year-old scored 13 goals and 29 assists for 42 points, with 10 points coming in 13 postseason games.
An undrafted blueliner, Cibulka spent three seasons in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, mostly playing for the Val-d’Or Foreurs before being traded to the Cape Breton Eagles halfway through the 2023-24 season. That year, he was a key player in helping the Eagles reach the semifinals, but they were ultimately eliminated by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
In 191 regular-season games in the QMJHL, Cibulka notched 18 goals and 84 assists for 102 points, with another 12 points in 18 postseason contests.
Cibulka’s name has been on the international scene a few times. He was on the Czech team that won bronze at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and represented his country at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Cibulka also played for the senior national team during the EuroHockey Tour over the past two seasons.
