logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #TylerThorpe

Canadiens' continued pursuit of unicorns stands tall at development camp
Canadiens' continued pursuit of unicorns stands tall at development camp

New York Times

time03-07-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Canadiens' continued pursuit of unicorns stands tall at development camp

BROSSARD, Québec – Development camp is very different this year for the Montreal Canadiens. There is no fresh first-round pick taking part because the Canadiens didn't make a first-round pick after trading both of theirs to the New York Islanders in the Noah Dobson deal. The only first-round pick in camp is Michael Hage, a serious departure from the first three years of this administration's rebuild. Advertisement Hage is headed back to the University of Michigan for his sophomore year in the fall. There is no Juraj Slafkovský like there was in 2022, the first development camp under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, and there is no Lane Hutson like there was last year. It would be very surprising if anyone at this development camp played games for the Canadiens in the next two years, the first such development camp of this rebuild. These players are, by and large, longer-term projects. But one player at camp already has an NHL contract in his back pocket. He went undrafted in his first year of eligibility and was then drafted last year by the Canadiens in the fifth round, during a commercial break in the coverage. Tyler Thorpe found out he was drafted when a buddy of his called him to let him know, as commercials continued rolling on television. Then, Thorpe came to rookie camp last fall and stood out. He is 6 feet 5 inches, long and physical, and can really shoot it. He has puck skills. The only deficiency is his feet, which still need work. But the Canadiens saw enough in one rookie camp to give Thorpe some serious motivation to go back to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL and work on the things that will help him reach the NHL with the Canadiens. He was given the mandate of playing big, and if he did that, there was a strong chance there would be an NHL contract waiting for him at the end of the season. Thorpe scored 27 goals in 68 games and led the Giants with a plus-11 rating, but more importantly, he began imposing himself physically with more consistency and using his physical gifts to their utmost potential. 'After rookie camp and throughout the year, they were telling me that if you play the right way, if you play the style of game I like to play and my body size helps me play, then a contract would be there for me,' Thorpe said Wednesday after the second day of Canadiens development camp. Advertisement That's what Thorpe did, and on April 8, three days after his final game with the Giants and less than two years after he went undrafted in his first year of eligibility, Thorpe signed a three-year entry level NHL contract and reported to the Laval Rocket. This came one year (less a day) after Florian Xhekaj, also undrafted in his first year of eligibility and taken in the fourth round of the 2023 draft as an overager, signed after the completion of his OHL season with the Brantford Bulldogs. Xhekaj is another long, rangy, physical forward who just finished an excellent rookie season with the Rocket. He is not exactly the same player as Thorpe, but they are definitely in a similar bucket. They share a type — a rare type that can be very effective in a seven-game playoff series if they can get the details and habits rounded out to reach the NHL. 'What they said to me, and I fully agree with them, is I have stick skill,' Thorpe said. 'I can shoot the puck, I can pass, I can stickhandle, but it's just morphing that into the big frame. So obviously that comes with the gritty play, the hitting, the forechecking. Just kind of morphing those two together, that's kind of been their message so far.' Thorpey channeling his inner Michelangelo today! 🐢 From 2️⃣6️⃣ Connor Levis to Tyler Thorpe with his 2️⃣6️⃣th of the season!#REMAXforCMN | @remaxcanada | @bcchf | @TheWHL | @CanadiensMTL | #GoHabsGo — Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) March 3, 2025 Thorpe had the advantage of having a late growth spurt. When COVID-19 hit in 2020 when Thorpe was 14, he was about 5-7. By the time he was 17 and playing in the WHL, Thorpe was about 6-4, and today he's 6-5. So, those stick skills came from his days as a smaller player, but he's still learning how to be a big player and use that frame to its fullest potential in the pro game. Advertisement 'My first year when I played Junior B, I was trying to be the little guy, get the nice goals, make the nice plays,' he said. 'But once I got to the WHL, they said, this is your role. I love throwing a big hit now, so I was more than happy to do that.' In other words, even today, Thorpe is a bit of a blank canvas, blessed with physical gifts and a background as a skill player. His feet most definitely need to catch up, and he's working with noted Vancouver-based skating coach Barb Aidelbaum on that and has made it the priority of his summer, but the bet the Canadiens are making on him is clear. It is the same bet they made on Xhekaj, whom co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov famously referred to as a unicorn in the Canadiens 2023 draft meetings. But it didn't stop in 2023. Because if they draft enough of them, one of them might hit and help them in a Stanley Cup playoff series one day. And thus, the Thorpe pick in 2024. We had heard strong rumblings the Canadiens would be seeking this unicorn again in the 2025 draft. We thought it might happen in the first round with Jack Nesbitt, but the Canadiens traded both of their first-round picks. We thought it might happen in the second round with Will Moore or Matthew Gard, but the Canadiens traded picks No. 41 and 49 to move up and draft super-skilled Russian winger Alexander Zharovsky at No. 34, a player they feel has top-six upside. But in the third round, the Canadiens traded up again to place their unicorn bet. Similar to Thorpe, with the third round of the 2025 draft crawling along at a snail's pace, the draft broadcast went to commercial just before Hayden Paupanekis' future was about to be determined. As the broadcast came back, it was announced the Canadiens had traded picks No. 79 and 108 to the Boston Bruins for pick No. 69. Advertisement Paupanekis was home in Winnipeg surrounded by family, and all of a sudden, coming out of a commercial break, he was drafted by the Canadiens. 'Out of nowhere it was Montreal's pick …and then I hear my name,' Paupanekis said Wednesday. 'When I learned they traded up for me it meant a lot. They didn't think I was going to be there at 79.' When asked why he thinks the Canadiens drafted him, Paupanekis hit the nail on the head. 'I think they drafted a big player,' he said, 'a guy who always wants to win and be the best.' Big Paupi Le Paupi Grand 🤝How many @CanadiensMTL fans will come watch Hayden Paupanekis at the 2026 Memorial Cup??#GoHabsGo | @Kelowna_Rockets | #NHLDraft — Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) June 28, 2025 Paupanekis is a 6-5, 203-pound centre for the Kelowna Rockets, the 2026 Memorial Cup hosts. He is squarely in that same bucket that includes Xhekaj and Thorpe, another Canadiens swing at a unicorn, another player with great physical gifts who is still trying to figure out how to best use those gifts. 'I'm still trying to identify what my identity is and still trying to learn what kind of player I am,' he said. 'I think once I figure that out and learn how my body works and how it moves, I'll have a really big gap with other guys. I'll be able to protect pucks better. I think everybody drools over tall guys, and once I find who I am as a player … I'll be pretty good.' Paupanekis is Cree on his father's side. Mike Paupanekis was born in Norway House, Manitoba, just north of the northern shores of Lake Winnipeg, an eight-hour drive north of Winnipeg, and still has family there. Paupanekis is proud of his heritage and has done hockey camps in Norway House, hoping to serve as an inspiration to the youth there, not unlike another former Canadiens star with First Nations roots. Advertisement 'A lot of First Nations communities, little kids, they look up to me,' he said. 'I love to inspire them. Anything's possible for those kids. I like to give back to the community and do hockey programs up north where my dad's from. That's what I love. Being First Nations, I'm proud of it.' With the Rockets gearing up with a guaranteed spot in the Memorial Cup, Paupanekis has been told his role will grow. 'I think my role on that team is going to be as a top forward, I'm going to get lots of ice, my coaches told me that,' he said. 'So I just want to build up in the summer for the season and hopefully have a really big summer and see where it takes me.' As a Winnipeg native, Paupanekis looks at Jets centre Adam Lowry as a role model but likes to think he has a bit of Tage Thompson in his game as well and considers himself a cross between the two. If he comes close to becoming that, the Canadiens will obviously be thrilled. We'll see what happens with Paupanekis in rookie camp, but it's not hard to see a scenario where he's told something similar to what Thorpe heard when his first rookie camp came to an end — that if Paupanekis finds that identity as a big, rangy, physical centre and displays the attributes the Canadiens are looking for to fill a specific role on their team three, four or even five years down the road, an NHL entry-level contract would be the reward. It's far too early in the process to predict that, but that was undoubtedly the motivation behind trading up to get Paupanekis early in the third round of the draft. The Canadiens have clearly demonstrated they have a type and a willingness to take multiple swings at adding that profile to the NHL club. Xhekaj is in pole position to fill it right now, but there are more candidates in the pipeline. Because the Canadiens continue chasing unicorns. (Top photo of Hayden Paupanekis: Bill Wippert / Getty Images)

Canadiens likely to continue mining NHL Draft for size and physicality
Canadiens likely to continue mining NHL Draft for size and physicality

New York Times

time12-06-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Canadiens likely to continue mining NHL Draft for size and physicality

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Windsor Spitfires centre Jack Nesbitt was sitting on a stool after his successful physical testing at the NHL Scouting Combine on Saturday morning, talking casually about why the Montreal Canadiens appeared, in his view, to like him as a prospect. His response was very matter-of-fact, very self-aware, and somewhat revelatory of what the Canadiens are likely looking for in this draft, and not just from Nesbitt. Advertisement 'I think they like how big I am,' Nesbitt said. 'I use my size to play physical, I'll always fight if I have to, sticking up for teammates. I think they like the gritty part of my game, so we'll see if that transfers to the NHL.' Nesbitt was a late riser this season, putting up 24 points in his final 23 regular-season games and 10 points in 12 playoff games. However, the context for all this is that he measured in at the combine at 6 feet 4 1/2 inches and 186 pounds. His skating's not ideal, but everything else is right in the Canadiens' wheelhouse for the reasons Nesbitt mentioned. Several players are available at various points of this draft who fit that profile. The Canadiens dug in on that profile to some extent later in last year's draft when they took Logan Sawyer in the third round, Tyler Thorpe in the fifth round and Ben Merrill in the sixth round. They were ranked, respectively, 114th, 111th and 127th on NHL Central Scouting's final North American list, but they also measured in at 6-1, 173 pounds; 6-4, 209 pounds; and 6-3 1/4, 190 pounds. The three players had frames with room to fill out. This came after taking Florian Xhekaj in the fourth round the year before and watching him blossom in his draft-plus-one year in the OHL. And now that Xhekaj has again blossomed in his first year as a professional in Laval, it's only further validation that this is a strategy worth exploring. Xhekaj was called a unicorn by Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov in their 2023 draft meetings. And then Xhekaj went out and proved he was a bit of a unicorn. However, it is not smart to simply look for size above all else in the draft. In 2013, the previous Canadiens administration took Michael McCarron, Jacob de la Rose and Connor Crisp in the first three rounds primarily because of their size. They also took one smaller player in the second round, Artturi Lehkonen, and he very quickly became the best of those four players. Advertisement But Xhekaj was not taken solely because of his size. He stood out because of his hands, offensive instincts, combative nature, willingness to be physical and the feet that allowed him to be physical. Size with tools that translate to the NHL is the goal, and it wouldn't be a surprise if that's the Canadiens' goal this year. Because there are other players like Nesbitt out there. The thing with Nesbitt is that taking him with the No. 16 or 17 pick might be a bit of a reach, or it might not, depending on who you ask. The Canadiens pick again at No. 41 and No. 49, and that might be too late to grab some of the other guys who fit that goal, including William Moore or William Horcoff. But we've heard the Canadiens have shown a fair amount of interest in one player who might be right in that second-round wheelhouse. Telling his story is more illustrative than predictive, because he fits a certain type — the Canadiens type. His name is Matthew Gard. We don't know if the Canadiens will draft him. But you shouldn't be surprised if the Canadiens draft someone like him. Gard, a centre for the Red Deer Rebels, is 6-4 3/4 and 195 pounds. And, by his own admission, he's raw. 'I think I'm starting to get closer to what my peak performance is going to be,' Gard said. 'I think I'm probably still three to five years away from it. It's just a gradual climb, year after year.' The Rebels made a few moves at the trade deadline that allowed Gard to take on a bigger role later in the season, and he wound up playing himself into a spot on Canada's U18 national team, which he never thought was possible. 'I always knew it was in me,' Gard said, 'but it was kind of wishful thinking at times.' He comes from an athletic family; both his parents played for the national volleyball team, his two older brothers play university volleyball, and his younger brother was just drafted by the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes. When Gard was 13 or 14, he estimates he grew seven inches in six months, from around 5-7 to 6-2, putting him on the radar for WHL clubs but also completely changing the way he plays hockey. He needed to adjust to going from somewhat average-sized to massive in less than a year, and it's a process that continues to this day. Advertisement 'It took me some time to grow into my body. Honestly, I still am, in a way,' Gard said. 'I'm just trying to build some speed with it and get more powerful and stronger in my big, skinny frame.' That skinny frame has been at the top of Gard's mind for years. At the start of his WHL draft year, he was 6-1 and 140 pounds, so he's added nearly four inches and 55 pounds since. 'Honestly, (adding weight) has been the main part of my summer for the past couple of summers,' he said. 'I've been pretty consistent adding 10 pounds a summer the past couple of years. It's coming, it's going to be gradual, but I think I'm only halfway to where I'm going to be in a couple of years. 'It's going to be exciting to look forward to where I can be.' Matthew Gard goes upstairs and gets Red Deer on the board @Rebelshockey | #NHLDraft — Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) March 23, 2025 This is essentially a blank hockey canvas with a very promising physical toolkit and an acute awareness of the work he has ahead of him and what he will be in the NHL. 'I think a middle-six guy,' he said. 'I think I'm pretty versatile in what I can do and where I can play in the lineup. I'll have a defensive role, probably, and bring a lot of physicality. Just chaos and mix that in with some skill.' We have no idea if the Canadiens will draft Gard, of course, but at some point in the draft, they are very likely to take someone like him: someone with a big frame with room to grow physically and a skillset that gives them some hope he can contribute to a big, heavy team in Montreal one day. The Canadiens watch the playoffs every year and see how physicality and heaviness help teams advance from round to round, and this year they saw for themselves how that helped the Washington Capitals advance past them. They will always prioritize skill earlier in the draft. But later on, that physicality and heaviness will surely become an increasingly important factor in how they approach their picks. (Photo of Matthew Gard: Larry MacDougal / Associated Press)

Ivan Demidov Signs His ELC
Ivan Demidov Signs His ELC

Yahoo

time08-04-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Ivan Demidov Signs His ELC

Ivan Demidov has had a busy day. A few hours (if that) after reaching an agreement with his former team, SKA St. Petersburg, to part ways before the end of his contract on May 31, the right winger signed his ELC with the Montreal Canadiens. Tyler Thorpe Earns a ContractSuzuki Named Second Star Of The Week In The NHLJakub Dobes Got An Interesting Gift Following Ovechkin's Record Unlike Tyler Thorpe and Jacob Fowler, the Russian wonder's ELC starts this season, meaning he'll burn his first year. However, you won't see anyone complain about that in town, as the city is already abuzz with the news of his signing, and everyone is eager to find out when he'll play his first game with the Sainte-Flanelle. Media members tried to get a press availability with Kent Hughes before the game against the Detroit Red Wings. Still, the Canadiens' communication department replied that the GM and Jeff Gorton were working on all the details to bring Demidov over. However, word to the wise: Hughes will be interviewed on TSN during the first intermission, an appearance that has been planned for weeks. Talk about great timing for the network. We are still awaiting confirmation of when the GM will be available for a full press conference. i🆅an de🆆idov#GoHabsGo — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 8, 2025 There's no word yet about Demidov's timeline for joining the team or indication about when he'll play his first game, but in an exclusive interview with he said he will most likely have time to play in the regular season. Understandably, he also added that his goal was to adapt to this new style of hockey as soon as possible and show what he could do. The three-year pact has a $941,000 cap hit and a value of 2.82 M. As expected, there is a signing bonus for each year and performance bonuses he can also hit. As I said earlier this week, the future is now Habs fans, so enjoy it! Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store