Welcome back to Catching The Torch, where we keep up with the Montreal Canadiens’ CHL prospects and how their development is progressing week by week.
And then there were three.
Last season, the CHL cupboards had five prospects to write about: Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, Florian Xhekaj, Quentin Miller and Daniil Sobolev. Four of them have now graduated to pro hockey — the former three to the AHL, and the latter to the VHL. Only Miller, who is currently out long-term with a shoulder injury, remains from that crop.
However, two of the Habs’ 2024 NHL Draft picks are currently plying their trade in the Canadian Major-Junior circuit. We’ll delve into the WHL’s Tyler Thorpe and the OHL’s Owen Protz in this edition.
Tyler Thorpe, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Drafted as an over-age prospect at 190th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, calling Tyler Thorpe’s progression curve atypical would be an understatement. He started his draft year with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen, scoring three points in 10 games before being called up to the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. There, he earned a measly six points in 48 games. This was not nearly enough to get noticed, let alone drafted.
Then, last season, he earned him way into Vancouver’s middle six through his rapidly improving scoring prowess, his high motor, and his impressive coordination for his size, grabbing 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games along the way.
Now, he is one of the focal points of the Giants’ offence, mostly playing on their top line, top power play, and even the occasional penalty kill shift.
The point total so far this year — only 15 in 17 games — hasn’t been mind-blowing, but there are many aspects of Thorpe’s game that provide more hope than the statsheet does. His shot is mechanically refined, and it has a lot to do with that rare high level of coordination in a massive forward. His wrists fold incredibly quickly through his release, and he has a particular knack for shooting in motion or mid-stride, another rare trait in bigger bodies.
On the playmaking side, the progression curve in Thorpe’s game has been vertical. He has gone from a functional passer to a creative and dynamic one, often blending look-offs and shot fakes into his distribution in order to open up seams. This has been the more promising aspect of Thorpe’s growth as a player, since the NHL is a league that rewards dual-threat scorers who leverage one threat to feed the other.
Thorpe’s skating remains a setback. His legs generate a ton of power, but the mechanics fall short in terms of lateral evasiveness and edgework. However, Thorpe’s combination of intensity, physicality, goal-scoring skill, and improving playmaking tools might be enough to overcome the skating issues and make him a reliable bottom-sixer long-term for the Habs.
Owen Protz, LD, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
Drafted in the fourth round at 102nd overall in 2024, Owen Protz’s game seemed almost too simple at first glance last year: he’d line up his man off the rush, angle him outside the dot lanes, and finish his check hard. Rinse and repeat, shift after shift.
However, as the season went on, Protz started showing more complexity — even in his physical game. He started picking his moments to truck through a player or engage along the boards with much more purpose and forethought, allowing him to stay within range of influence if the puck got away from him.
On the offensive side, the growth was minimal, but still noticeable. Protz went from delegating his problems to at least attempting to solve them himself, while also showing a growing willingness to push up, support the rush and get some dangerous passing plays started.
Since then, Protz’s offensive game has continued to creep forward ever so slightly. The 6’2″, 207-pound defenceman has been getting involved in more direct plays from the blue line. Whether it’s moving laterally upon reception to change the angle on his shot, accelerating his release to time it with screens, or zipping a cross-ice pass to the open F3, Protz’s on-puck game has become more fluid and efficient. As a result, he currently sits at seven points in 17 games for Brantford, 12 points shy of matching his totals from last year, with about 50 games to go.
With two more years of CHL eligibility to add to his toolbelt, Protz has an opportunity to marinate and become an impactful two-way defenceman before he hits the pro level, rather than a pure crusher. Similar to what we saw from Arber Xhekaj in the same Brantford program a few years ago.
Thanks for reading — follow me on Twitter @HadiK_Scouting for more prospects-related content, and to keep up with the rest of my work!
