The Montreal Canadiens select a monstrous 6-foot, 5-inch forward at 130th overall: Tyler Thorpe.
Here is the description from TVA Sports journalist, Anthony Martineau:
“The CH turns, with the 130th selection, to Tyler Thorpe, a HUGE 6-foot-5, 216-pound right winger who played with Vancouver in the WHL.”
“Mobile for his size. Has grown tremendously over the last two years. 44 points in 51 games.”
Former CH recruiter Grant McCagg is furious that the CH did not choose Justin Poirier.
“They choose a 6-foot-4 winger instead. Of course. Who would want to draft the top scorer in the CHL playoffs? It’s much better to have a 6-foot-4 winger playing in Trois-Rivières.”
You can feel the sarcasm and anger in his voice. But based on what we’re hearing from Vancouver, Thorpe has some potential. Some even speak of a rough diamond to be polished.
Vancouver Giants’ gigantic winger Tyler Thorpe is even described as an “outsider” by some scouts.
Last season, the 18-year-old from Richmond scored 23 goals in 51 games, despite injuries that cut his season short.
Giants general manager Barclay Parneta said he’s been getting a lot of calls about the 6-foot-5, 220-pound 18-year-old winger.
“He charges down the ice, racks up goals and forces opposing defenders to check over their shoulders to make sure he’s not chasing them.” says the CEO.
Parneta received enough feedback from clubs last season to think Thorpe could be a late draft pick in his first attempt last year after his four goals in 48 games as a Giants rookie.
He was not selected, but went to the Ottawa Senators’ development camp and played in a rookie tournament.
Tyler Thorpe has scored eight goals in Vancouver’s first nine games this season, prompting NHL scouts to interview him.
Thorpe was injured during a game on February 10, accidentally having his wrist cut by an opposing defender when the two fell to the ice after a scrum.
Thorpe missed the remainder of the season and the Giants’ five-game first-round playoff loss to the Everett Silvertips.
He finished with 44 points in 51 games and 30 penalty minutes. He insists he’s fine now. He’s practicing on the ice and his shooting is going well.
“I just fell awkwardly and the only part that wasn’t covered happened to be the part that got cut,” Thorpe said.
“It was a little scary at the time. It didn’t really bother me, because things like that happen.”
He moves well for his size and has shown he can score goals. His game could benefit from more consistency – a common remark about junior players.
There were times with the Giants where Thorpe was invisible, where we wished he would run the game or be more physical.
He stood 5-foot-11 and weighed 165 pounds at age 15, then had a massive growth spurt. He scored 11 goals in 33 games as a 16-year-old for the Richmond Sockeyes in Junior B in 2021-22.
Vancouver initially added him to their roster with the hope that he would fit into the “bottom 6”. His CEO was talking about his professional potential before the end of this first season and he continued on this path.
“It’s slowly starting to come together,” Thorpe said of the opportunities he may have in the future.
“When I was 16, the draft wasn’t even something we thought about. It was just hockey.”
“I’m very excited for everything that’s happening. I can’t believe the Montreal Canadiens selected me. I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.”
In any case, we are indeed talking about a giant. When you select in the 5th round, you might as well select a physical monster…
