Chris Relke
B.C. Division

Ten Giants’ Players Claim Team Awards

Written by Giancarlo Nadeau on

 

With playoff hockey set to begin on Friday for the Vancouver Giants and the chance at the Memorial Cup up for grabs, some Vancouver Giants players have already taken home some hardware from the regular season.

 

Friday, April 15 was the final regular-season home game for the Giants and it certainly was a Good Friday for some G-men! Vancouver took on Kelowna and fought hard in a 4-3 overtime defeat, but the point rewarded helped secure a post-season ticket for the Giants. Ten different players added their names to some historic trophies owned by Vancouver.

 

Connor Horning, one of three twenty-year-old players on the Giants, was named the Pat Quinn Defenseman of the Year for his club. Horning began his WHL playing career with the Swift Current Broncos in the 2017-18 regular season before switching over to the Western Conference to join the Giants in the 2019-20 WHL season. This season, Horning suited up for 64 of 68 regular-season games and notched 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in that span. Horning led his team and many WHL players with six Power Play goals matching his six special team goals and total points from the 2018-19 regular season while he was a member of the Broncos. 

Ty Thorpe concluded his fourth season in the WHL and first with Vancouver by suiting up in 62 games and recording 16 goals and 28 assists for 44 points. Thorpe’s 44 points put him second on his team and 18 points back of Fabian Lysell who finished first on the Giants with 62 points in 53 games. Prior to playing with Vancouver, Thorpe was a member of his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings for the past three seasons dating back to the 2018-19 WHL season. The 6’0 forward was named this year’s Unsung Hero.

Payton Mount was named the Most Sportsmanlike Player finishing the season with a total of six penalty minutes, the least amount of time served in the penalty box amongst any of his teammates who played in more than 30 games. Mount joined the G-men in an off-season trade with the Seattle Thunderbirds and finished the season with 32 points in 59 games.

Giants rookie forward Jaden Lipinski got the full taste of a WHL season playing in all 68 games along with defenceman Evan Toth. The Scottsdale, Arizona native racked up eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.

Justin Lies, 6’1” and 200 lbs, had a fantastic season both on and off the ice. Lies played 50 games with the G-men this season adding to the 70 games that he had previously played in over the past two seasons with Vancouver. The White Spot Humanitarian had eight goals and eight assists for 16 points.

Will Gurski, one of four goaltenders who went between the pipes for Vancouver this season, finished the year with 32 games under his belt a 3.88 GAA, 0.882 SAV%, and the Post Secondary Player of the Year award in his hands.

Jesper Vikman, an NHL Draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, was the fourth multi-award winner for the Giants. Vikman was a stalwart in the Giants’ crease while healthy and finished with the best stats amongst all Giants goaltenders despiting only being able to play in 35 games. Vikman’s 3.05 GAA, 0.903 SAV%, and 17 wins combined with his attitude off of the ice helped propel him to earn the Bruce Allen Inspirational Leader Award and 3 Stars Award.

Mazden Leslie, a fan-favourite on the blue line, played in his first 68-game season with Vancouver and second season in the WHL. Leslie played in the bubble last season registering five goals in 17 games and added another five goals this season to go along with 14 assists for a total of 19 points in the 64 of the possible 68 games that he had the chance to play in. Leslie has taken incredible strides in his player development this season which earned him the title of Most Improved Player and excelled off of the ice as the Save-On-Foods Scholastic Player of the Year.

Fabian Lysell, a highly skilled and one of the most talked-about players on the Giants, took home four awards. Lysell was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins and did not disappoint in what was his first season playing hockey in the WHL. Lysell finished first in team scoring with 62 points as the 2003-born product of Göteborg, Sweeden found the back of the net 22 times and registered 40 assists.

Giants’  Captain, Zach Ostapchuk, led by example both on and off of the ice finishing his fourth season as a Giant with 58 points (26 goals, 17 assists) in 60 regular-season games. Ostapchuk took over Captain duties from Justin Sourdif who was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings earlier on in the season and carried his team on his shoulders all season. Ostapchuk’s efforts this season helped him to take home four awards, the P.C. Toigo Most Valuable Player, the Players Choice Award, and the 3 Stars Award. 

Vancouver had some players stand out with their playing ability this season and will need the same and more when the post-season begins.

The G-men begin their playoff journey this Friday in Everett.