4 Giants Listed on NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings
Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants are pleased to announce that four players have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the 2025 NHL Draft: forwards Cameron Schmidt and Aaron Obobaifo, defenceman Mazden Leslie and goaltender Burke Hood.
Central Scouting revealed the lists of the top North American skaters and goalies, along with the top International skaters and goalies, on Tuesday morning.
CLICK FOR THE N.A. SKATERS LIST | CLICK FOR THE N.A. GOALIES LIST
Schmidt (Prince George, B.C.) was once again the highest rated Giant. After being named a “B” skater in the preliminary rankings in October, Schmidt is now the 30th ranked North American Skater in these mid-term rankings, which they classify as ‘Round 1’. He scored a goal and added an assist for Team CHL in the inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge in November and is currently second in the WHL in goals with 29. Schmidt leads Vancouver in scoring with 48 points in 35 games (29G-19A).
Despite only playing 13 games this season due to injury, Obobaifo (Calgary, Alta.) was ranked 150th among N.A. skaters, or ‘Round 5’. The 17-year-old started the season on fire with six goals and four assists in his first nine games. He is currently out indefinitely, but clearly made a mark on scouts with his early season play.
Leslie (Lloydminster, Alta.) has been on a tear since returning from the holiday break and was ranked 196th among N.A skaters, or ‘Round 7’. With an assist on Saturday in a win over Kelowna, the Giants 19-year-old captain increased his point streak to 5 games, with 10 points during that span (2G-8A). He also has 15 points in his last 9 games (2G-13A) and has already equalled his point total from last season (44) in 28 fewer games. His 44 points are T-2nd among all WHL blueliners this season. This is Leslie’s third draft-eligible season.
Hood (Brandon, Man.) is the 25th ranked North American goaltender on the rankings. The 17-year-old is 8-6-4-0 in his first WHL season with a 3.56 goals-against average, .895 save percentage and two shutouts. He was named the WHL’s Goaltender of the Week last Monday after going 3-0-0 with back-to-back shutouts. The 6-foot-3 netminder is 5-2-1 with a .923 save percentage in his last 10 appearances, dating back to December 6.
Below is the breakdown of the four Giants players and their rankings.
Rank (N.A. Skaters) | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Ht | Wt | Pos |
30th | Schmidt | Cameron | Prince George, B.C. | Vancouver Giants | 5’7″ | 161 | RW |
150th | Obobaifo | Aaron | Calgary, Alta. | Vancouver Giants | 5’10” | 183 | LW |
196th | Leslie | Mazden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Vancouver Giants | 6’0″ | 200 | D |
25th (Goalies) | Hood | Burke | Brandon, Man. | Vancouver Giants | 6’3″ | 197 | G |
The Giants are one of four WHL teams with four current players listed.
The Giants had previously had four players crack the ‘Preliminary Players to Watch’ List, which was released on October 23. At that time, Schmidt (‘B’), Obobaifo (‘C’), Matthew Hutchison (‘C’) and Hood (‘W’) were all named.
In addition to the four current Giants listed on the mid-term rankings, the organization is pleased to recognize two additional players that have been identified as prospects for the upcoming NHL Draft: forwards Mason West and Cooper Simpson. West is ranked 50th among North American skaters, while Simpson is 67th among N.A. skaters.
Rank (N.A. Skaters) | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Ht | Wt | Pos |
50th | West | Mason | Edina, MN | Vancouver Giants | 6’6″ | 208 | C |
67th | Simpson | Cooper | Shakopee, MN | Vancouver Giants | 6’0″ | 180 | LW |
Unlike the preliminary rankings that use a tiered letter-grade system, the midterm rankings simply go numerically, with the top 224 North American skaters being ranked (seven rounds) and the top-32 North American goalies being ranked (one round). Four rounds of International skaters are also ranked (122 players), as well as 16 International goaltenders.
A total of 66 Western Hockey League players were listed on the midterm rankings, made up of 38 WHL forwards, 21 defencemen and seven goaltenders.
Six WHL skaters were ranked in the top 20 among North American skaters, including Roger McQueen (Brandon Wheat Kings), Radim Mrtka (Seattle Thunderbirds), Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans), Carter Bear (Everett Silvertips), 2024 WHL Champion Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw Warriors) and Benjamin Kindel (Calgary Hitmen).
2025 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings – WHL Players
Rank | Last Name | First Name | Hometown | Team | Height | Weight | Position |
5 | McQueen | Roger | Saskatoon, Sask. | Brandon | 6’5.25 | 197 | C |
6 | Mrtka | Radim | Havlickuv, Cze. | Seattle | 6’5.75 | 207 | D |
9 | Smith | Jackson | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 6’3.25 | 195 | D |
11 | Bear | Carter | West St. Paul, Man. | Everett | 6’0 | 179 | LW |
12 | Lakovic | Lynden | West Kelowna, B.C. | Moose Jaw | 6’4.25 | 190 | LW |
20 | Kindel | Benjamin | Coquitlam, B.C. | Calgary | 5’10 | 176 | C |
21 | Cootes | Braeden | Sherwood Park, Alta. | Seattle | 5’11.25 | 183 | C |
24 | Fiddler | Blake | Frisco, Tex. | Edmonton | 6’4 | 209 | D |
26 | Kettles | Peyton | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current | 6’5.25 | 190 | D |
30 | Schmidt | Cameron | Prince George, B.C. | Vancouver | 5’7.25 | 161 | RW |
31 | Behm | Nathan | Calgary, Alta. | Kamloops | 6’1.5 | 192 | RW |
34 | Reschny | Cole | Macklin, Sask. | Victoria | 5’10.5 | 183 | C |
42 | Gard | Matthew | Winnipeg, Man. | Red Deer | 6’4.75 | 192 | C |
48 | Paupanekis | Hayden | Winnipeg, Man. | Kelowna | 6’4.25 | 196 | C |
52 | Lewandowski | David | Dusseldorf, Ger. | Saskatoon | 6’1.25 | 177 | LW |
65 | Sharpe | Will | Ladner, B.C. | Kelowna | 6’0 | 195 | D |
69 | Martin | Owen | Oakbank, Man. | Spokane | 5’11.75 | 185 | C |
70 | Lajoie | Jett | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George | 5’11.5 | 178 | RW |
72 | Mistelbacher | Luke | Steinbach, Man. | Swift Current | 5’11.75 | 196 | RW |
73 | Pickford | Bryce | Chauvin, Alta. | Medicine Hat | 6’0.25 | 183 | D |
74 | Hamilton | Reese | Whitewood, Sask. | Regina | 6’0 | 172 | D |
81 | Gorzynski | Brandon | Scottsdale, Ariz. | Calgary | 6’1.5 | 185 | C |
86 | Lafreniere | Tommy | Hornby Island, B.C. | Kamloops | 5’11 | 172 | RW |
101 | McCann | Kadon | Cochrane, Alta. | Medicine Hat | 6’3 | 200 | C |
109 | Vlooswyk | Luke | Calgary, Alta. | Red Deer | 6’4.5 | 200 | D |
111 | McGregor | Josh | Brandon, Man. | Swift Current | 6’1.25 | 170 | D |
118 | Miller | Ryan | Medicine Hat, Alta. | Portland | 5’11.75 | 177 | C |
119 | Sawchyn | Lukas | Grande Prairie, Alta. | Edmonton | 5’9.75 | 168 | LW |
121 | Klippenstein | Carter | Lethbridge, Alta. | Brandon | 6’2.5 | 180 | C |
122 | Garland | Gavin | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 5’9.5 | 183 | RW |
123 | Gavin | Jordan | Surrey, B.C. | Brandon | 5’11 | 187 | LW |
125 | Sarkenov | Asanali | Astana, Kaz. | Spokane | 6’3.5 | 203 | RW |
130 | Burzynski | Grayson | Winnipeg, Man. | Swift Current | 6’3.5 | 212 | D |
131 | Schoettler | Owen | Edmonton, Alta. | Spokane | 6’0 | 181 | D |
134 | Foster | Aiden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Prince George | 6’2 | 182 | C |
135 | Gerwing | Dawson | Meadow Lake, Sask. | Kelowna | 6’3 | 225 | LW |
142 | Bridgeman | Kolten | Regina, Sask. | Regina | 6’4 | 216 | D |
143 | Degenstein | Noah | Airdrie, Alta. | Moose Jaw | 6’3.75 | 206 | C |
144 | Mayes | Sawyer | Salmon Arm, B.C. | Seattle | 6’4 | 188 | C |
146 | Baumuller | Joby | Wilcox, Sask. | Brandon | 5’11.25 | 188 | RW |
147 | Woo | Jonas | Winnipeg, Man. | Medicine Hat | 5’8.75 | 165 | D |
150 | Obobaifo | Aaron | Calgary, Alta. | Vancouver | 5’9.5 | 183 | LW |
160 | Koch | Cassius | Calgary, Alta. | Tri-City | 5’11.25 | 197 | LW |
163 | MacKenzie | Ethan | Peachland, B.C. | Edmonton | 6’0 | 174 | D |
169 | Busch | Shea | North Vancouver, B.C. | Everett | 6’1.75 | 208 | LW |
170 | Fuder | Jaxon | Cold Lake, Alta. | Red Deer | 6’0 | 166 | C |
173 | Temple | Cole | Brandon, Man. | Everett | 5’9.25 | 166 | C |
174 | Riche | Ben | Bethune, Sask. | Prince George | 5’9.5 | 179 | C |
191 | Buttazzoni | Diego | Langley, B.C. | Portland | 5’9 | 183 | LW |
192 | Thurston | Derek | Delta, B.C. | Red Deer | 6’0.75 | 190 | D |
195 | Coupland | Ty | North Vancouver, B.C. | Red Deer | 5’10.25 | 165 | C |
196 | Leslie | Mazden | Lloydminster, Alta. | Vancouver | 6’0.25 | 200 | D |
206 | Schmidt | Connor | Sturgeon County, Alta. | Moose Jaw | 5’11.25 | 180 | D |
214 | Gudelj | Jake | Vancouver, B.C. | Tri-City | 6’1.75 | 198 | C |
221 | Ziprick | Aiden | Russell, Man. | Moose Jaw | 6’0.5 | 190 | D |
223 | Corbet | Nate | Calgary, Alta. | Kelowna | 6’1 | 171 | D |
224 | Kachkowski | Jack | St. Albert, Alta. | Saskatoon | 5’11.75 | 176 | D |