Jets All Out Top 25: #18 Tanner Glass & #17 Chris Thorburn

#18 Tanner Glass, 27, Left Wing, 6’1, 210 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #18 Difference: N/A

#17 Chris Thorburn, 28, Right Wing, 6’3, 225 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #17 Difference: N/A


Rough and rugged, Tanner Glass cut his teeth with the Dartmouth College Big Green in from 2003-04 until his final year in 2006-07. Never known for his scoring touch in college hockey, he still managed to be near a point per game player in his final two years, scoring 28 points in both, while collecting 56 or more penalty minutes in both.

Before he even set foot onto Dartmouth ice, Glass was the Florida Panthers ninth round draft pick in 2003, 265th overall. Despite going unsigned until August 2007 by the Panthers, he would make his NHL debut in 2007-08 with the Panthers, playing in 41 games, collecting 39 penalty minutes and two points.

In 2008-09, Glass was named an alternate captain for the AHL’s Rochester Americans but was only able to appear in 44 games after suffering a season ending injury in early Feburary 2009.

Despite the injury, Glass never needed too much time in the AHL because of his type of play. His rugged, run-and-gun style was needed in the NHL versus the big goons who only fought. Glass would fight, hit, intimidate, and would chip in with 10-15 points in a season.

In 2009-10, Glass signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Vancouver Canucks and showed he fit in with the fast, high-octane scoring team. In his first season, Glass collected career highs in games played (67), goals (4), assists (7), points (11), and penalty minutes (115).

Resigned for the 2010-11 season, Glass played in 73 regular season games, collecting ten points (3 goals, 7 assists) and 72 penalty minutes while playing a grinder role. He appeared in 20 playoff games for the Canucks en route to the Stanley Cup Final, collecting 18 penalty minutes along the way.

Glass is a sure fit in Winnipeg with his leadership, experience, and his rugged style.

Along with Glass, long-time Atlanta Thrasher Chris Thorburn will also be a fan favourite for his rugged style of play.

Selected 50th overall in 2001, Thorburn took a while before cracking an NHL lineup full time. After a good junior career where he played for the North Bay Centennials (1999-2002), Plymouth Whalers, and the Saginaw Spirit (2002-03), Thorburn entered his first professional season in 2003-04 with the Rochester Americans.

He spent three full seasons in Rochester, improving his stats every season, with a career year in 2005-06 with 58 points (23 goals, 27 assists) and 134 penalty minutes (though down from 185 the year before).

The Sabres only gave Thorburn two games to show what he was made of, where he collected an assist and seven penalty minutes along with a minus one rating.

The next season, the Pittsburgh Penguins picked up Thorburn and he appeared in 39 games for them in 2006-07, scoring five points (3 goals, 2 assists) along with 69 penalty minutes and a plus one rating.

After one season in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In Atlanta, Thorburn flourished and his style of play finally reached its potential in the NHL ranks.

In his first season in Atlanta, Thorburn scored 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) and garnered 92 penalty minutes in 73 games. In four seasons in Atlanta, Thorburn would collect 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) along with 362 penalty minutes in 313 games.

Both Glass and Thorburn play with an edge and are willing to drop the gloves to protect their linemates. Both are able to put the puck in the net, though they don’t exactly have soft hands. Both will definitely be fan favourites in Winnipeg for reasons other than scoring.