Thorpe impresses during rookie year

MOOSE JAW, SK – Rookie of the year, Riley Thorpe, had an impressive start to his WHL career, finishing the season with seven goals and 18 points through 60 regular season games, making him the highest-scoring Warriors rookie. 

“[Thorpe] gave fans a glimpse of what an exciting player he’s going to be,” said Head Coach Mark O’Leary. “We expect him to take another big step next year and be a large contributor to our offence.”

Thorpe, an eleventh round pick of the Warriors at the 2023 WHL draft, impressed at training camp back in August and was one of only two players drafted in the 2023 draft to play fulltime with the Warriors this season. 

Thorpe’s first goal came on October 15th against the Spokane Chiefs. Thorpe had a particularly impressive second half of the season and ended the season centering the top line between Captain Lynden Lakovic and 2024 Rookie of the Year, Pavel McKenzie. 

“There’s a lot of good guys, and I think my line was really strong,” said Thorpe. “I’m really grateful that I got the opportunity to play with [Lakovic and McKenzie] and learn from them.”

This offseason, Thorpe says he wants to work on puck management and trying to make the right play whenever possible. Both elements, he thinks, will suit his game well and set him up for a strong sophomore campaign.

Although it was a difficult season, Thorpe says there are still lots of positives and opportunities for growth. 

“No one likes to lose, but you learn a lot from losing. You just have to have that mentality that you don’t want to lose in the years to come,” said Thorpe. “I’m really excited for what next year holds.”