On March 27, the Edmonton Oilers announced the signing of defenseman Tomas Cibulka to a two-year entry-level contract, which will begin next season. This news prompted fans to ask who this player was. Cibulka, 21, spent three seasons in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), but was never drafted by the NHL and has since played professionally in his native Czechia.

Cibulka, a 6-foot, 176-pound, left-shot defenseman from Ceske Budejovice, was selected in the first round of the 2021 CHL Import Draft by the Val-d'Or Foreurs, being the eighth best-selected Czech player. He played in Val-d'Or for two and a half years before being traded to the Cape Breton Eagles on January 6, 2024.

In the 2023-24 season, Cibulka became one of the top offensive defensemen in the QMJHL, totaling 10 goals and 39 assists in 55 games between Val d'Or and Cape Breton. He finished third in points per game (0.89) and power-play points per game (0.42) among all defensemen in the league.

In the 2024 QMJHL playoffs, Cibulka accumulated 11 points in 14 games, helping Cape Breton advance to the third round for the first time in 17 years, tying for second in assists (10) and power-play points (7) among all defensemen. Cibulka also represented his country at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he scored two goals, including a crucial one in the Czech Republic's quarterfinal victory over Canada.

The Czech Republic won bronze, giving Cibulka his first medal in a major international competition. Previously, he had played for Team Czechia at the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Although he was not selected in the NHL draft during his three years of eligibility, Cibulka caught the attention of the Boston Bruins, who invited him to their rookie camp in September 2024. Cibulka played for the Bruins' rookies in the 2024 Prospect Challenge in Buffalo, but did not receive an invitation to Boston's main camp after this event.

After three years of junior hockey in Canada, he returned to Czechia to join his hometown team, HC Banes Motor České Budějovice, of the Czech Extraliga, the country's top professional hockey league. Cibulka was named the Extraliga's top rookie for the 2024-25 season, with six goals and 14 assists in 43 games with České Budějovice HC.

The defenseman had similar numbers this season, with seven goals and 15 assists in 47 games. České Budějovice was recently eliminated from the 2026 postseason, allowing Cibulka to sign with the Oilers.

It has not been announced whether Cibulka will join Edmonton's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, for the remainder of the 2025-26 season and the Calder Cup Playoffs. However, Oilers fans will be able to see him at Rogers Place during the 2026-27 NHL preseason.