This past June, Tyler Thorpe was one of 34 WHLers selected in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The Richmond, B.C.-born winger was chosen at the start of the fifth round and was the only WHLer selected by the historic Montréal Canadiens. Now entering his third season with the Vancouver Giants, Thorpe’s combination of skill and size is hard to find at the junior level, making him an intriguing prospect.
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After being drafted, Thorpe headed to Quebec to participate in the Canadiens prospect camp. At 6’5 ” and 212 pounds, he stood out not only for his size but also because he scored multiple goals during the scrimmages. As Thorpe explained, the camp was a great opportunity to get to know the organization and learn what Montréal expects from their prospects from a development perspective.
“They talked a lot about the process, said Thorpe. “They talked a lot about how you’re not going to learn much in the week you’re there, but as long as you can take something away that you’re willing to go work on and stick to the process within everything, they found that was the biggest thing.”
Growing up in B.C., Thorpe was a Vancouver Canucks fan. Included in the Canucks team he watched was Alex Burrows, who he got to meet during Canadiens Developing Camp. According to Thorpe, this was a special moment as he described it as a “dream come true.” On top of being a fan of his hometown team, Thorpe also grew up watching Brendan Gallagher and admits to still having some memorabilia to this day.
“The only hockey fans in my family were me and my dad and, you know, being from Vancouver, we, we grew up with the Canucks. I had a Brendan Gallagher shirt. It’s sitting in my room from when I was seven to now.”
Thorpe and Gallagher have a lot in common. They both played for Vancouver in the WHL and were drafted by Montréal in the fifth round. While Gallagher’s career may be coming to a close soon, Thorpe hopes to play at least one game beside one of the Giants’ most iconic NHLers.
“It would mean the world. Playing with any of these guys that have been in the league is just a dream come true, but a guy like that. I’m playing for the same franchise as him, and then hopefully playing for the same franchise again, but together, it would be unreal.”
While Thorpe is focused on impressing at the Canadiens’ upcoming rookie camp, he is also ready for what should be an exciting season in the WHL. Vancouver has brought back the majority of its roster from last season, which Thorpe is very excited about. As he describes, not only should the team score more goals, but their work in the defensive zone should also see some improvements.
“We have four lines that can score this year. We won’t have to rely on the top two lines to score. We have four great lines, and each line has guys who can score and play in the defensive zone. Pretty much all of our team will be returning, and it’ll be a much more depth-based team.”
Thorpe is a great example of a player who jumped on an opportunity and never looked back. He was never drafted into the WHL, yet in the span of two years, he went from the PJHL to being selected in the NHL Entry Draft. If he can keep developing the way he has since joining the Giants, there is little doubt he will play games in the NHL one day.
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