No. Looking at his fight card this year in the NHL (hockeyfights.com) I can't see him as a rising star. Since the Hatcher fight he has three straight draws with guys the next great enforcer would've/should've beat.
Let's look at who the 6'3" Thorburn has fought:
6'0" Craig Adams - not a regular scrapper who has fought guys like Aaron Asham in the past
6'5" Derian Hatcher - who has a total of 10 fights since 2001
6'2" Ben Eager - who is like his name very Eager - 14 AHL fights last year
6'4" Mike Commodore - 6 fights the last two seasons, mostly in a defensive role
5'10" Ryan Hollweg - who has lost badly in his three other fights this season
Let's look at who the 6'3" Thorburn has fought:
6'0" Craig Adams - not a regular scrapper who has fought guys like Aaron Asham in the past
6'5" Derian Hatcher - who has a total of 10 fights since 2001
6'2" Ben Eager - who is like his name very Eager - 14 AHL fights last year
6'4" Mike Commodore - 6 fights the last two seasons, mostly in a defensive role
5'10" Ryan Hollweg - who has lost badly in his three other fights this season
