With the 2026 WHL trade deadline days away, Vancouver Giants made a deal that sends team captain Ty Halaburda to Kelowna for Will Sharpe.
Announced Tuesday, with the Thursday cut-off looming, Giants are also giving the Rockets their second-round pick in 2028 (originally Everett’s) and a fourth-round pick in 2028.
Sharpe, a 2007-born defenceman from Ladner, was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2025 NHL Draft, 216th overall, after recording a career-high 44 points last season in 66 games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Rockets.
Halaburda, a 2005-born Victoria native, was named team captain in November. He has spent his entire career with the Giants after being selected in the second round of the 2020 WHL Draft.
He finishes his Giants career top-10 in multiple offensive categories: points (4th – 220); goals (6th – 96); assists (T-7th – 124); and games played (5th – 283). This past weekend, he recorded his fourth consecutive 20-goal season.
“We are very excited to add Will to our blueline. As a 2007-born NHL drafted defenceman, he will be a major piece for our team immediately,” Giants General Manager Hnat Domenichelli said. “His leadership, skating ability and hockey IQ make him a perfect fit as we start a new era in Vancouver.
Ty Halaburda scores with only 12.4 seconds left in regulation to win it for the Vancouver Giants! @WHLGiants pic.twitter.com/cYaugFggZH
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 6, 2025
“Ty has been an outstanding Giant for the last five years, from being drafted as a 15-year-old in 2020 to becoming our captain this year,” Domenichelli added. “His consistency, leadership and work ethic were evident throughout his tenure. On behalf of the Vancouver Giants organization, we would like to sincerely thank Ty for five seasons of dedication and wish him all the best in Kelowna.”
