NHL Draft Preview: Several Giants Could Hear Their Name Called in Nashville

Category: ArticleJune 26, 2023

Vancouver, B.C. — With 12 of the top 28 North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings coming from the Western Hockey League, it’s safe to say this week is an exciting time for the league as a whole.

It’s also safe to say NHL Draft week is an exciting time for the Vancouver Giants, who have a WHL-high five skaters listed on the final rankings. Only Seattle, with four skaters and two goaltenders, have more players listed. In fact, there is only one other Canadian Hockey League team other than Vancouver with five skaters ranked: the Sudbury Wolves.

Here are the Giants names you’ll want to familiarize yourself with ahead of Wednesday night, when the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft kicks off in Nashville, Tennessee.

Samuel Honzek – 9th-ranked N.A. Skater – Trencin, Slovakia

Honzek was the B.C. Division’s Rookie of the Year nominee this season after recording 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points in just 43 games. Despite missing significant time, the 6-foot-3, 195 lb. winger still registered the third-most productive rookie campaign in Giants history, trailing only Fabian Lysell (62 points, 2021-22) and Gilbert Brule (60 points, 2003-04).

The 2004-born forward also impressed during testing at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo earlier this month, finishing first out of 100 prospects on the Wingate bike (22.4 watts/kg), second in the standing broad jump (117.5 inches), and third in the force plate: no arm jump (19.95 inches).

Honzek’s 23 goals tied for the second-most among all WHL rookies and his 56 points ranked third among first-year WHL players. Honzek also added four points in four playoff games.

Highest Public Draft Ranking: 9th (Sam Cosentino – Sportsnet)

Jaden Lipinski – 49th-ranked N.A. Skater – Scottsdale, Arizona

Lipinski finished third on the Giants in scoring with 51 points (19G-32A) in 66 games, a 34-point improvement from his rookie season. The 6-foot-4, 210 lb. centre scored a team-leading five game-winning-goals, eight power play goals (2nd on Vancouver) and was a 51 per cent clip in the face-off circle (460 FOW).

He was also named the Bublé Iron Man of the Year and Save-On-Foods High School Scholastic Player of the Year for the Giants.

Lipinski was a free agent signing by the Giants in April of 2021.

Highest Public Draft Ranking: 61st (Tony Ferarri – The Hockey News)

Ty Halaburda – 89th-ranked N.A. Skater – Victoria, British Columbia

Halaburda finished third on the Giants in goals with 21, and sixth in points with 37. His goal total more than quadrupled his previous season’s, after scoring just five times in his rookie year.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound winger also represented Canada at the U18 World Championships, where he helped his country capture a bronze medal, registering three points in seven games (1G-2A).

He was also the winner of the White Spot Humanitarian of the Year award at the Giants year-end awards.

Highest Public Draft Ranking: 95th (Logan Horn- The Hockey Writers)

Mazden Leslie – 125th-ranked N.A. Skater – Lloydminster, Alberta

Leslie finished first among Giants defencemen in scoring with 50 points (12G-38A) this season, which ranked fourth among all Giants skaters. His 50 points ranked third among all draft-eligible Western Hockey League defencemen, trailing only Lukas Dragacevic (75) and Luca Cagnoni (64). He was named the Pat Quinn Defenceman of the Year for the Giants.

The 6-foot-1, 193 lb. right-shot defenceman was originally selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, 10th overall. Despite being just 18, Leslie has already appeared in 147 career regular season games for Vancouver, having compiled 22 goals and 54 assists for 76 points.

Highest Public Draft Ranking: 73rd (Logan Horn- The Hockey Writers)

Tyler Thorpe – 223rd-ranked N.A. Skater – Richmond, British Columbia

Thorpe is an imposing figure at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, and started last season in the BCHL before signing with the G-men in October.

The right-shot bruising forward finished his rookie WHL campaign with four goals and six points in 48 games.

Ethan Semeniuk – 173rd-ranked N.A. Skater (mid-term rankings) – Fort St. John, British Columbia

Semeniuk missed the final cut on NHL Central Scouting’s List, but was ranked in January.

The 6-foot, 185 lb. centre had a strong start to the season with 12 points in his first 21 games. He finished his second WHL campaign with 12 goals and 22 points in 54 games, which included four game-winning-goals (T-2nd on Vancouver) and two shorthanded goals (T-1st on Vancouver).

Giants ‘By The Numbers’ at the NHL Draft:

34 – Giants have been drafted to the NHL all-time, including 22 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders. The most recent Giant picked was Zack Ostapchuk, who was a second-round selection by Ottawa in 2021

5 – Giants have been selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, most recently Bowen Byram, who went 4th overall in 2019 to the Colorado Avalanche

4 – The most Giants drafted by a single NHL franchise, a tie between the Calgary Flames (Watt, Bouma, Kulak, Roman) and Edmonton Oilers (Kovar, Musil, Houck, Benson)