8 Giants Attending NHL Rookie Camps

September 12, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release

Sam Honzek of the Vancouver Giants
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Rob Wilton)

Forward Ty Halaburda will suit up for the Vancouver Canucks in the annual Young Stars Classic, where he will face off against Giants teammates and Calgary Flames draft picks Sam Honzek and Jaden Lipinski, as well as teammate Connor Levis who will compete with the Winnipeg Jets. Additionally, Tyler Thorpe will suit up for the Montreal Canadiens, Colton Roberts will play for the San Jose Sharks, Mazden Leslie will compete with the Vegas Golden Knights and Marek Howell will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche.

Thorpe (Richmond, B.C.) and Roberts (Maple Ridge, B.C.) are each attending camps after being selected by Montreal and San Jose, respectively, in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Rookie camp for Thorpe and the Canadiens began on September 11 in Brossard, Que. and wraps up on September 17. The 23 players invited will face the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects in a pair of games at the Bell Centre on September 14 and 15 at 1:00 p.m.

Leslie (Lloydminster, Alta), Roberts and Howell (Calgary, Alta.) will travel to Los Angeles for the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, which will feature prospects from the Avalanche, Golden Knights, Sharks, Utah Hockey Club, Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.

Roberts is one of 25 Sharks prospects that will compete. Leslie is a free agent invite and one of 26 Golden Knights prospects attending. Howell is also a free agent invite and one of 29 prospects who will play for the Avalanche. The 2024 Rookie Faceoff will run Sept. 13-16.

Halaburda (Victoria, B.C.) is a free-agent invite by the Canucks, while Levis (Vancouver, B.C.), Lipinski (Scottsdale, AZ) and Honzek (Trencin, SVK) are each 2023 NHL Draft picks. All four will compete in the annual Young Stars Classic, which runs Sept. 13-16 between prospects on the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Jets and Flames.

Honzek and Lipinski were both selected by the Flames in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. While they didn't attend Giants training camp, they are both eligible to return to the WHL this season as 20-year-olds.

If any of the eight prospects have a strong enough showing, they could get invited to stick around for main camp.

The Vancouver Giants home opener is on Friday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. vs the Seattle Thunderbirds. Single game tickets are now on sale and can be purchased. Season ticket memberships are also still available and start as low as $17.22 per game.

Tyler Thorpe of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)	Colton Roberts of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)	Connor Levis of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)
Mazden Leslie of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)	Ty Halaburda of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)	Marek Howell of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)
Jaden Lipinski of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)	Sam Honzek of the Vancouver Giants (Rob Wilton)

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