How Lithuania’s Simas Ignatavičius turned a pizza trip at the mall into an NHL dream

Jun 12, 2026, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Jun 11, 2026, 10:40 EDT

Credit: Simas Ignatavicius (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

For Lithuanians, there isn’t a bigger sport than basketball.

They’ve won three Olympic medals, numerous European tournaments and have sent many players to the NBA, including Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valančiūnas.

Simas Ignatavičius’ father was no exception. Mantas Ignatavičius played professionally for about 15 years, and, most notably, spent three years as a point guard with High Point University in the NCAA. Simas (pronounced See-mus I-gnata-vishuhs) could have gone the same route, but he went for a less traditional sport from his home country instead: ice hockey.

With a population of just more than 2.6 million, they have 120 senior male players and another 151 women athletes. Lithuania has just three official IIHF-sized rinks. You can add another three if you count the ones found in malls – including one that could help Ignatavičius reach his ultimate dream.

Born in Memphis, Tenn. (his family lived there after Mantas’ pro career ended), Ignatavičius would eventually return to Lithuania as a young kid. He recalls being around three years old when he first saw the sport in person.

“One day, I was having a pizza with my dad inside a mall (in Vilnius). True story,” he told reporters during the NHL Draft Combine, noting it wasn’t Hawaiian pizza. “There was a practice going on at the same time. I saw it and was like, ‘Oh, what is that? I would like to try it.’ So I went to practice once with the team, and I fell in love with it.”

Later this month, Ignatavičius will do something he couldn’t have imagined back then – hear his name called at the NHL Draft. Projected to go in the top two rounds, Ignatavičius is on track to become the third Lithuanian player selected to the NHL. The other two, defenseman Darius Kasparaitis and forward Dainius Zubrus, were both first-round picks and would go on to represent the country internationally. Zubrus is still heavily involved with the national team, serving as president.

That’s a remarkable track record for the 23rd-ranked men’s program in IIHF competition. Lithuania has participated in international hockey since 1938, but the team’s small size has prevented it from ever really breaking through.

Ignatavičius has an opportunity to be a big part of the country’s hockey legacy – literally. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, he’s hard to miss. Ignatavičius has spent most of his career playing in Switzerland and recently spent the year playing against pros at the top level of Swiss hockey, the National League. Ignatavičius finished with seven goals and 13 points in 52 games with Geneve-Servette, while also adding another seven goals and 11 points with HC Thurgau in the second-tier Swiss League.

Through it all, he has been a fixture of the Lithuanian national team. He first represented the U-18 squad back in 2022, and played in four World Championships in that age group. He also played in a pair of Division IIA World Juniors, which included a tournament-leading eight goals and 14 points en route to helping his team earn promotion for 2026. Ignatavičius didn’t play with the U-20 team this year, but did score his first senior national team goal against Ukraine back in November.

Being considered for the draft – and potentially getting selected in the first round – is something Ignatavičius doesn’t take for granted.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity that I have,” he said. “I’ve worked all my life for this. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be here, I don’t think I would have believed it.”

Ignatavičius isn’t going to be a play driver at the next level. Don’t expect 30 goals a year, either. The biggest draw, though, is how he uses his big frame to absorb contact and win most of his physical battles. He makes himself exceptionally difficult to move off the puck, especially in front of the opposing goaltender. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a strong release, though. Ignatavičius has a powerful shot, and uses his size to get himself into scoring areas quite frequently. It was hard for him to truly prove that in the NL, but it’s hard for any young prospect to get sizeable ice time there.

There’s a clear path to the NHL for Ignatavičius. He plays a hard-checking game, but he’s a solid skater for his size, too. I think he’s a better playmaker than a goal-scorer, but that’s because he’s often the one tasked with winning battles to retrieve the puck. Ignatavičius also has shown some nice flashes of quick hands and raw skill. It probably won’t be enough to thrust him into a top-six role, but he could be a reliable secondary scoring option if he finds another gear with his offense.

Ignatavičius says he tries to model his game after Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.

“It’s big shoes to fill,” Ignatavičius said. “He’s a physical forward. I can play both ends. He’s not scared to go into dirty areas in front of the net, not scared to be in guys’ faces. He’s a guy who’s willing to do whatever it takes for team success. So I tried doing the same things, and I think when I do that, that’s when I play the best.”

Some scouts think Ignatavičius’ near-certainty of becoming an NHLer will land him late in the first round this year. Others suggest teams will take a chance on a more skilled player and bank on upside. For the most part, though, scouts agree that the floor is high for Ignatavičius to have a good NHL career, most likely as a support player.

Regardless of what happens, Ignatavičius wants to be an inspiration for the next generation, like Kasparaitis and Zubrus were to young kids like him. The sport is still small back home – but with more NHL exposure, that can change.

“We’ve had two drafted players come from Lithuania – it would be great if I had a chance to be the third one,” Ignatavičius said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of hard work to be done, and there’s a long way to go. But I’m pretty confident in myself that I’ll be able to accomplish, and I’m just trying my best to show Lithuanian kids that hockey is a good sport and they should do it too.”

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