Robert Jay
B.C. Division

All you need to know about Evan Toth

Written by Giancarlo Nadeau on

 

On November 5, 2021, Evan Toth became part of the Vancouver Giants. The Giants sent a sixth-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft to Calgary in exchange for the 2002-born defenceman.

The self-described defensive defenceman first began skating when he was five years old and started playing hockey at the age of eight. Jacob Slavin is a player who Toth compares himself to as both players play hard, block shots, skate well, and play a two-way game. Evan Toth was drafted by the Hitmen in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft in the 6th round (112th overall). 

The 2002 born defenceman from Winnipeg spent two-plus seasons with Calgary, tallying 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points in 80 regular-season games. “They were a good team that treated me well and that gave me an opportunity in the league. I’m forever thankful to them.”

Toth played the Giants once while he was a member of the Hitmen back in the 2019-20 WHL season. It was a high-scoring and spirited affair between the two teams, but the Giants came out on top with a 6-5 victory over the Hitmen and Toth who was seventeen years old at the time. 

“They [Vancouver] were really skilled and back then had some really good players. I knew that they were always a tough team that played with a lot of grit and never gave up,” proclaims Toth.

At the time of the trade, the Hitmen currently had nine defencemen on their roster making it difficult for the coaches to decide on who to play each game. The trade allowed Calgary to play their younger defencemen more often. 

“Evan going to Vancouver gives him the opportunity to play a more prominent role. We wish him nothing but the best and thank him for all of his contributions on and off the ice with the Calgary Hitmen,” said General Manager Jeff Chynoweth in the Hitmen’s trade announcement news article.

Toth, a left-shot defenceman, played the first nine games of the season with Calgary before coming to Vancouver. “I was excited. I was ready for a new opportunity and getting to know everybody.”

The 5’10”, 175-pound player suited up in his first game with his new team four days after joining the G-men. The Giants were blanked 1-0 by the Prince George Cougars, but Toth was not on the ice for the goal against and did finish the night with one shot on goal.

Since his November 9th debut, Toth has since played 47 additional games with Vancouver. He has managed four goals and 11 assists in that span for a total of 15 points to go along with a +/- rating of +1 and 20 penalty minutes. 

One player that Evan Toth looks up to and tries to model parts of his own game after is former Giants defenceman Seth Bafaro. Bafaro began his WHL playing career with the Tri-City Americans and would later go on to play a season and a half with the Saskatoon Blades before heading to Vancouver where he was part of the 2018-19 team that ran to the Finals. Bafaro played a total of 112 regular and post-season games with Vancouver including five pre-season games in 2019. Bafaro did get to play against Toth on February 21, 2019, in what was the last time Calgary and Vancouver have met.

Former Giant Seth Bafaro during the 2019 WHL Championship Series
Former Giant Seth Bafaro during the 2019 WHL Championship Series. Photo: Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia

“He plays a lot of defence. He plays hard and plays the right way. I try to do things like that. He came before me so I never got to meet him, but I try to do things like him.”

Fun is one word that Evan Toth continued to use when asked what it’s like to be with the Giants. “It’s a good team, I have great teammates. We work hard, we usually play the right way and it’s awesome playing for them.”

If the Giants continue to work hard while playing the right way and Evan Toth continues his dominant performances on the blue line the Vancouver Giants should be set to do some series damage in the post-season. Have fun.