Tyler Thorpe was nowhere close to getting drafted in his first year of eligibility in 2023. One of the youngest players in the class at the time, he finished his draft season with six points in 48 games, his first season in the WHL. The only thing he had going for him was his size, and not even NHL teams that covet such a thing felt that was enough to give him a spot on their reserve lists.
He was a different player when he re-entered this summer, the same big frame, but with a much more impressive offensive resume of 23 goals and 21 assists. He added another element to the package, and that was enough to draw the interest of the Montreal Canadiens with the opening pick of the fifth round.
Birthplace: Richmond, British Columbia
Date of birth: August 11, 2005
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 216 lbs.
Team: Vancouver Giants (WHL)
He had never been an offensive player, even going back to his Bantam days. He must have really worked on his hands in the off-season because he displayed plenty of skill this season to sit in the team lead for goals on February 10. His season was ended early by the skate laceration to his forearm on that date, forcing him to miss the final months of the campaign and the Vancouver Giants’ short post-season run, but the impression had been made.
In 2023-24, he showed an excellent shot that wasn’t in his tool bag the previous year. He was able to pick the spot he wanted to shoot the puck to, and score goals from places he never could before. He showed some deft hands to get his stick on pucks sitting in his feet, and was able to use his wrists to get them on target.
With his size, he was often left alone in front of the net by defenders who could do nothing to move him, and many of his goals and assists came from plays from close range. At 6’5″ and 216 pounds, it’s a place he would be able to occupy even at the pro level, so that part of his game would translate well.
Right now, the shot is all in his wrists. He doesn’t use his body much at all to help generate power. If he can incorporate more of his mass into the mechanics and use hip rotation to speed up the puck, he could enjoy even more success on the offensive side.
Standing in front of the net was a great way to build up his goal total, but using his body to win pucks in the corners would make better use of his frame and have more of an impact on his team’s offence. One reason why he didn’t do that (other than it being more fun to just fire shots from point-blank range) is that he doesn’t have the skating ability to wander too far to the perimeter. In this section of the draft it was that deficiency the Canadiens decided to target, as they seem to feel it’s easier for a prospect to develop that part of his game than discover some offensive ability down the line.
With his size and reach, he was still able to be a fairly good transition player, skating the puck out of his zone or into the offensive end. That was really the only thing he provided to his team in the two zones closest to his net, however, and will need to put a lot more effort into using his teammates in transition and helping out on defence to become a legitimate prospect in the system.
Rankings
Hockey Prospect: #110
NHL Central Scouting: #111 (North American skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #116
In the fifth round, it’s unlikely that you’re going to land an NHL player, so you have to gamble on prospects with issues that may never be solved. Having to completely revamp a skating stride is no mean feat for Thorpe or any of the other prospects in a similar situation that Montreal took in this range, and most of them will probably never develop enough to get onto the NHL radar. But if just one of them does, then there are elements already in place to take advantage of the improved movement on the ice.
Thorpe has the potential to be a great net-front player for a power play, but needs more to his game to claim the bottom-six role necessary to get that opportunity. The Canadiens will try their hardest over the next two years to improve their new prospect and see where he stands at the end of the 2025-26 season when they need to make a decision on an entry-level contract.
