Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 1, 2024 2:20:54 GMT -5
My take: LaBob started to double down on their big beef theme at this point. Thorpe is a huge specimen who can skate and has some hands. He is great in the nasty spots on the ice, which is a great asset on teams these days. Another late bloomer who really popped this season with some decent talent after being passed over last season. He missed the last few months after a freak skate blade wrist accident in February. A long term project, but some raw tools that are intriguing.
The reports:
The Habs went big with their first selection of the fifth round with Thorpe, who just finished his first full WHL campaign. This was his second year of eligibility.
Bio
Right Winger
Shoots: Right
DOB: August 11, 2005 – Richmond, BC
Height: 6’4
Weight: 209 lbs
Scouting Reports
DraftPro: Big winger with a developing game. His play has undergone a drastic change compared to last year. His skating, which has been a concern, seems to have become a priority to him to improve. He has taken steps to enhance his starting and stopping, and straight-line speed, though it’s not yet at a professional level. With tremendous upper body strength and desire to make contact in the corners he is harder to compete against. Durable and unafraid to battle in the tough areas of the ice. Puck protection skills are excellent; his frame and long reach make it challenging for opponents to poke the puck away from him.
Elite Prospects: It’s uncommon to see a player of Thorpe’s stature shoot in motion and off-the-catch with such impressive form. His hands always stay in front of his body and he really elevates his top arm to put his full body weight behind the net. He also has a knack for deflections bolstered by between-checks positioning. Thorpe’s skating is volatile, and unlikely to become a strength. But he will do his best to overcome a lack of powerful edge work and speed with pure effort. He never quits on a play, forces a ton of turnovers, and throws the occasional big hit. Thorpe projects as a fourth-line forward. Further refining his skating, puck-winning skills and physicality will help him get there.
Hockey Prospect: Thorpe’s game is still really raw, and has a long way to go before impacting the game at the pro level. But with his growth spurt, the huge improvement he did in his game over the years, with some interesting tools to work with, there’s still a lot of opportunities to improve and develop his game. He should be in a position to have a lot of success next season for the Giants. When you look at his statical profile, his size and traits his game, the late blooming aspect of his development, there’s a lot of similarity to Justin Brazeau. If a team can be patient and invest in his development, there could be some rewards.
McKeens: Thorpe stormed out of the gate for his 2023-24 campaign and looked like he could be one of the top re-entry prospects in this draft, but his game cooled off considerably from there. He’s built like a brick house and has quite a howitzer for a shot. He does some good work down in the cycle but is at his most dangerous when he has time and space to shoot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the skating or hands to easily open up that kind of room for himself. And when he’s not scoring, he’s not contributing much else. There’s a chance that Thorpe could become a Brett Ritchie type of player one day.
Corey Pronman, The Athletic: Thorpe progressed well in his second WHL season after not making much of a dent as a rookie and first-year draft eligible. Thorpe is a big winger who plays hard. He has a good shot from range, and displays strong instances of puck skills. His hockey sense is a major question however, and his skating is just OK as well although he moves well for a big man.
Statistics
Rankings
McKeens: 260
DraftPro: 221
Central Scouting: 111 (NA Skaters)
Hockey Prospect: 110
The reports:
The Habs went big with their first selection of the fifth round with Thorpe, who just finished his first full WHL campaign. This was his second year of eligibility.
Bio
Right Winger
Shoots: Right
DOB: August 11, 2005 – Richmond, BC
Height: 6’4
Weight: 209 lbs
Scouting Reports
DraftPro: Big winger with a developing game. His play has undergone a drastic change compared to last year. His skating, which has been a concern, seems to have become a priority to him to improve. He has taken steps to enhance his starting and stopping, and straight-line speed, though it’s not yet at a professional level. With tremendous upper body strength and desire to make contact in the corners he is harder to compete against. Durable and unafraid to battle in the tough areas of the ice. Puck protection skills are excellent; his frame and long reach make it challenging for opponents to poke the puck away from him.
Elite Prospects: It’s uncommon to see a player of Thorpe’s stature shoot in motion and off-the-catch with such impressive form. His hands always stay in front of his body and he really elevates his top arm to put his full body weight behind the net. He also has a knack for deflections bolstered by between-checks positioning. Thorpe’s skating is volatile, and unlikely to become a strength. But he will do his best to overcome a lack of powerful edge work and speed with pure effort. He never quits on a play, forces a ton of turnovers, and throws the occasional big hit. Thorpe projects as a fourth-line forward. Further refining his skating, puck-winning skills and physicality will help him get there.
Hockey Prospect: Thorpe’s game is still really raw, and has a long way to go before impacting the game at the pro level. But with his growth spurt, the huge improvement he did in his game over the years, with some interesting tools to work with, there’s still a lot of opportunities to improve and develop his game. He should be in a position to have a lot of success next season for the Giants. When you look at his statical profile, his size and traits his game, the late blooming aspect of his development, there’s a lot of similarity to Justin Brazeau. If a team can be patient and invest in his development, there could be some rewards.
McKeens: Thorpe stormed out of the gate for his 2023-24 campaign and looked like he could be one of the top re-entry prospects in this draft, but his game cooled off considerably from there. He’s built like a brick house and has quite a howitzer for a shot. He does some good work down in the cycle but is at his most dangerous when he has time and space to shoot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the skating or hands to easily open up that kind of room for himself. And when he’s not scoring, he’s not contributing much else. There’s a chance that Thorpe could become a Brett Ritchie type of player one day.
Corey Pronman, The Athletic: Thorpe progressed well in his second WHL season after not making much of a dent as a rookie and first-year draft eligible. Thorpe is a big winger who plays hard. He has a good shot from range, and displays strong instances of puck skills. His hockey sense is a major question however, and his skating is just OK as well although he moves well for a big man.
Statistics
Rankings
McKeens: 260
DraftPro: 221
Central Scouting: 111 (NA Skaters)
Hockey Prospect: 110
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/6F6VF25GCFF2HFJCOITRJSGNPE.jpg)