Ahead of the weekend’s prospect challenge, Montreal Canadiens rookies took to the ice on Friday, and a few players then met with the media. Among them was Tyler Thorpe, the fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft and one of the bigger names at camp, who has a very realistic outlook on his career.
For him, the key to succeeding in professional hockey is knowing who you are and what your game is. Thorpe knows what his game is and what his role can be on a team. He knows that if he makes the NHL, it will be as an energy guy; he won’t be a top-six forward; he’ll be a fourth-line player whose job is to hit players and be annoying on the forecheck. Asked when he came to that realization, he explained that it was in his first year in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants. Recalling the meeting where his coach told him that, he said he left with a big smile on his face.
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When asked which players he likes to see in the NHL, he mentioned Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson, saying he loves their style of play. He’s met Anderson in Brossard a few times.
Even though he’s already in the second year of his ELC, he knows that doesn’t mean he’ll make it in the NHL. It gives him a good opportunity, but he clearly doesn’t feel like he’s made it yet, which is the right approach to have.
At 6-foot-4 and 231 pounds, Thorpe should stand out amongst the prospects this weekend, and if things get physical over the weekend against the Winnipeg Jets and the Ottawa Senators prospects, he’ll no doubt be happy to oblige.
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Another player who’ll relish that kind of play is Owen Protz, the 20-year-old blueliner who explained to the media that his love for physical play comes from his competitiveness. From a very young age, his goal was always to beat his older brother at whatever they were playing, and that made him love competing, which carried over to his hockey career. At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, the blueliner, who’s starting the first year of his ELC, will be another player to watch this weekend.
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