WHL NOTEBOOK: ‘Thorpe Senior’ nears end of WHL trail

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This article was published 17/01/2023 (1173 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ty Thorpe, the 20-year-old captain of the Vancouver Giants, has become “Thorpe Senior,” but it might not be for the reason you imagine.

The Brandonite is in his fifth season in the Western Hockey League and second with the Giants, who signed 17-year-old forward Tyler Thorpe of Richmond, B.C., on Oct. 27.

“It’s pretty neat that we have two guys with the exact same name,” Thorpe said with a chuckle. “It was kind of strange at first and kind of confusing for our announcers, that’s for sure, but he’s a really nice guy.

“We’ve sorted it out. On the bench or wherever, I go by ‘Thorpe Senior’ and he goes by ‘Thorpe Junior.’”

The six-foot, 180-pound Thorpe Senior is having a career season with the Giants, leading the club with 23 goals and 47 points in just 40 games, eclipsing both of his previous single season highs.

He had 30 points in 136 games as a Brandon Wheat Kings, albeit as a younger player earning bottom six minutes.

“I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps and I’ve been able to play with some really good players,” Thorpe said. “For me, it’s one of those things that you just get more confident and you’re a little older and a little faster. I’ve really worked on my game over the summer as well and I feel like a lot of things have been clicking and falling into place.”

Just as impressively, Thorpe has won 518 of his 858 faceoffs for a remarkable 60.2 per cent success rate, well above what any coach could reasonably hope for. He’s always been good at it — at 17, he led the Wheat Kings with a 56.3 per cent win rate — but it’s something he’s continued to improve on.

“I feel like it’s something I’ve always been pretty good at but I’ve definitely made improvements and there have been people who I’ve been working with. For me, it’s just trying to add tools to my toolbox in that area.

“There are different ways you can win them. It’s making sure you’re not just winning every draw, but winning those key faceoffs.”

Thorpe was originally a third-round selection by the Victoria Royals in the 2017 WHL bantam draft.

On Jan. 10, 2018, he and Jonny Lambos were swept up in a blockbuster deal when Brandon sent captain Tanner Kaspick and prospect Cameron MacDonald to Victoria. Along with the two young players, Brandon also received a first-round pick in 2019, which was bundled in a second deal and eventually became forward Nate Danielson, and a 2021 first rounder that turned into defenceman Charlie Elick.

After three years with the Wheat Kings, Thorpe asked for a trade following the shortened 2020-21 season, both to have a new life experience and to potentially have an opportunity to play higher in the lineup.

On Aug. 12, he was grudgingly shipped to the Vancouver Giants for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2023: It was a deal former general manager Doug Gasper didn’t want to make, but did because Thorpe had been such a good citizen with the Wheat Kings.

“I think it’s been a huge, huge change, but it’s been incredible,” Thorpe said of the move. “I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve met some amazing people out here and I have been able to mature a lot out here. That was one of the biggest reasons I felt like it was what I needed.

“Being able to move away from home across the country, it was a big change but it was for the best, not just for me as a player in my career, but for me as a person to learn a lot and mature.”

Thorpe played with Zack Ostapchuk and Samuel Honzek for the first half of the season, and after trades and injuries hit, he has skated with Ty Halaburda and former Winnipeg Ice forward Skyler Bruce.

In the very definition of bittersweet, Thorpe was named the team’s 20th captain last Wednesday, three days after his close friend Ostapchuk was dealt to the Winnipeg Ice on Jan. 8 for four players and four picks.

“It was really emotional to see him go,” Thorpe said. “He’s one of my best friends and he’s obviously our leader in the room. That part was extremely hard.

“But at the end of the day, we have to keep moving forward and we’re still here, even though he’s gone and that’s a big hole to fill in our room and our lineup. We’ve been coming together as a group because obviously you’re not going to be able to replace a guy like that with just one person, so it’s been up to everyone to come together to make up for that.”

On the flip side, being handed the C was nice recognition for all he does for the Giants.

“It’s a huge honour to take that position on,” Thorpe said. “I’ve been fortunate to have a ton of great leaders who I’ve played under and can look up to. I take things from all of them that I’m going to try and use in my leadership skills.”

Thorpe played under Stelio Mattheos, Connor Gutenberg and Braden Schneider in Brandon, and Justin Sourdif in Vancouver before he was dealt to the Edmonton Oil Kings at the 2022 trade deadline, which is when Ostapchuk took on the role.

Thorpe has managed to keep in touch with many of his former Wheat Kings teammates, including Mattheos, Lambos, Lynden McCallum and Vinny Iorio, plus several current players. It’s especially easy to see Lambos, who now plays U Sports hockey for the UBC Thunderbirds.

With Thorpe now in charge, the Giants (16-19-4-2) are tied for sixth place in the Western Division with the Prince George Cougars, who have played two fewer games. Just three points separates the fourth-place Everett Silvertips from Vancouver, and the fifth-place Tri-City Americans are two points up on them, so that puts a premium on consistent play.

“It’s really, really tight,” Thorpe said. “There are a lot of teams battling it out. I feel like there is a lot of parity in the West. It seems like all the teams are really close. Every game, you have to be ready to go because those points are crucial.”

That means he will be playing meaningful hockey at the end of journey that began with an 8-4 Brandon victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sept. 29, 2018.

Thorpe is undecided on what’s coming next after the season ends.

He’ll likely have pro offers but also has five years of WHL scholarship money available to him if he goes to university instead. (If players skate in more than one season of minor pro or sign a National Hockey League deal or with a top European team, the scholarship is forfeited.)

“I’m weighing my options,” Thorpe said. “It’s definitely not something that I’m thinking about. Obviously there are teams that will reach out or schools that reach out, but for me it’s just focusing on the day to day and what’s in front of me.”

While that big decision looms, he’s enjoying the final months of what’s proven to be a wild ride that is ending far too quickly.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s already been five years now,” Thorpe said. “It does feel like yesterday when I was still at home in Brandon with Stelio and Lynden and Vinny and all those guys. It really flies by but it’s been some of the best years of my life. I wouldn’t change a thing.

“It’s just all the phenomenal people you get to meet along the way, all your teammates and coaches and everyone. I’m really grateful. I’ve been fortunate to play for two phenomenal organizations.

“I’ve had some of the best years of my life.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Let’s go to extra time with some random playoff overtime facts since the 1995-1996 season. Does Brandon have a winning record? What’s the record for most playoff OT games in a single year? What’s their best post-season OT record? Which Wheat Kings have scored two or more OT goals in the post-season? How many Brandonites have scored a playoff OT goal for the Wheat Kings?

• WEEKLY AWARDS — Everett Silvertips captain Jackson Berezowski has been named player of the week after leading all skaters with 12 points on eight goals and four assists in three games last week. The 20-year-old product of Yorkton, Sask., is just two goals shy of Patrick Bajkov’s career franchise record of 112. In net, Victoria Royals goaltender Braden Holt was named goaltender of the week after winning both of his starts and earning a shutout. The 19-year-old product of Bozeman, Mont., who was acquired from Everett last month, stopped 53 of 56 shots, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — After making his National Hockey League debut with the Ottawa Senators last season, 22-year-old Cole Reinhardt has played 36 games with the American Hockey League’s Belleville Senators this season with five goals, 14 assists and 50 penalty minutes. He spent four seasons with the Wheat Kings between 2016 and 2020, contributing 141 points in 252 games. Reinhardt has been reunited with his former Brandon teammate Ridly Greig, who has 23 points in 25 games.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon hits the road to Alberta this weekend. meeting the Calgary Hitmen on Friday at 8 p.m., the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday at 8 p.m., and the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday at 5 p.m. Their next home game is Jan. 31 when Carberry’s Ben Saunderson and the Saskatoon Blades visit.

• ANSWER — Since the 1999-2000 playoffs, Brandon is 26-17 in playoff overtimes. They participated in an incredible seven overtime games in the 2002 playoffs, winning four of them. Brandon went 4-0 in the 2016 playoffs en route to winning the league, with a 4-3 victory over Red Deer in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, and identical 3-2 wins in Games 1, 2 and 3 in the league final against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Just two Wheat Kings have scored more than a single OT goal in their careers, with Tanner Kaspick and John Quenneville each sniping once in 2015 and once in 2016. Four Brandonites have a playoff OT goal for the Wheat Kings, Kaspick, Tyler Coulter, Matt Calvert and Mark Derlago.