2023 WHL Graduates – Vancouver Giants
Throughout the month of July, WHL.ca will be featuring the WHL Graduates from the 2022-23 season in a 22-part, team-by-team series.
We continue with the graduating players from the Vancouver Giants!
Dylan Anderson
Originally selected by the Everett Silvertips in the fourth round of the 2017 WHL Draft, defenceman Dylan Anderson spent the majority of his WHL career in Washington state. He debuted as a 15-year-old in January of 2018, but broke in to the WHL on a full-time basis during the 2019-20 season, during which he appeared in 55 games for the Silvertips. Anderson’s first WHL goal came November 27, 2019 against the Spokane Chiefs. In 2021-22, Anderson put up 20 points from the Everett blue line, helping the Club to a second successive U.S. Division title. The following season, as a 20-year-old, he returned home to the Lower Mainland and the Vancouver Giants, with whom he skated in 48 games, scoring five goals as part of a career-best 28-point total. He wrapped up his tenure in the WHL with four post-season appearances with Vancouver this past spring. Overall, Anderson totalled 58 points (10G-48A) over his 191 WHL regular season games.
RELEASE THE BEARS!
Dylan Anderson evens the score for the @WHLGiants and kicks off the annual Teddy Bear Toss at the LEC! pic.twitter.com/Gy4aPJ8EaZ
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 11, 2022
Ty Thorpe
Originally selected by the Victoria Royals in the third round of the 2017 WHL Draft, forward Ty Thorpe began his five-year WHL career with his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings. Thorpe skated in 55 games in his inaugural WHL campaign, scoring his first WHL goal during a road contest at Red Deer in January of 2019. Over the course of his career, Thorpe became known as a dependable centreman, but his numbers started to leap off the page when he was dealt to the Vancouver Giants ahead of the 2021-22 season. In his first season in Vancouver, Thorpe scored 16 goals, totalling 44 points while also winning 59.6 per cent of his more than 1,300 face-off attempts. During the playoffs, Thorpe collected eight points in 12 games, helping the eighth-seeded Giants reach the Second Round. This past season, Thorpe led Vancouver with 37 goals and 71 points while again coming close to the 60 per cent mark in face-off efficiency. He was named Giants captain in January and helped the team qualify for the post-season, during which he scored three times in four playoff games. He concluded the 2022-23 campaign with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, scoring twice in nine regular season and playoff games. Overall, Thorpe tallied 145 points (63G-82A) in 263 WHL regular season contests.
With a release like that, it makes perfect sense that Ty Thorpe has 19 on the season. @WHLGiants pic.twitter.com/sN6uvIpBnH
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 28, 2022
Jesper Vikman
Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jesper Vikman arrived in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants in the fall of 2021 after being selected eighth-overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft. Vikman, from Stockholm, Sweden, had been a fifth-round pick by the Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Draft and over the course of two WHL seasons, appeared in 94 regular season and playoff contests. He earned his first WHL win and first WHL shutout on his debut October 2, 2021, making 16 saves in a road victory at Victoria; the Swedish netminder would win 16 more contests, earning three total clean sheets over his 35 games in 2021-22 before posting a 6-5 record during the 2022 WHL Playoffs, with his most memorable performance coming in the form of a 50-save shutout April 30 at Everett. This past season, Vikman won 19 games while posting a .903 save percentage and for his efforts, he was named the B.C. Division Goaltender of the Year. He signed an entry-level contract with Vegas this past April, concluding his 2022-23 season with one appearance with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL. Overall, Vikman recorded a 36-36-3-2 record to go along with a .903 save percentage and four shutouts over his 80 WHL regular season outings.
STAY GOLDEN, JESPER VIKMAN!🤩@WHLGiants | @GoldenKnights | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/W5EZQc3XIq
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 5, 2023
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