Giants 2025 NHL Draft Preview
Langley, B.C. – The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is nearly here!
Round 1 begins today, Friday, June 27 at 4 p.m. PT and rounds 2-7 will take place tomorrow, Saturday, June 28 at The Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, starting at 9 a.m. PT.
Three current Giants players were listed by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings for the draft (released in April): Cameron Schmidt (43rd-ranked North American skater), Burke Hood (15th-ranked North American goaltender) and Aaron Obobaifo (Limited Viewing).
Additionally, Giants prospects Mason West (27th-ranked North American skater) and Cooper Simpson (74th-ranked North American skater) were also ranked. Both forwards are from Minnesota and are on the Giants protected list.
Schmidt (Prince George, B.C.) scored 40 goals and added 38 assists for 78 points in 61 games this past season and remains a first-round possibility. He and Everett’s Carter Bear – who is one year older – were the only first-year draft-eligible players from the WHL to score 40-plus goals this season. Schmidt’s 78 points ranked first on the Giants, making him the first under-18 player since 2012-13 to lead Vancouver in scoring. He also led the Giants in playoff scoring with nine points in five games (4G-5A).
The 5-foot-8 winger is one of just three players in franchise history to reach the 40-goal milestone in his 17-year-old season, joining Evander Kane and Brendan Gallagher. Internationally, Schmidt won his third gold medal with Team Canada last month at the IIHF U-18 World Championship.
In his first season in the Western Hockey League, Hood (Brandon, Man.) had a 19-13-6 record, 3.13 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. That .910 mark was T-5th in the WHL in save percentage among goalies with 25 or more games played.
The rookie netminder had a .923 save percentage in 30 appearances from Dec. 1 onwards, with a 16-9-3 record. According to SportLogiq, Hood ranked third in the WHL in Goals Saved Above Expected (20.7), which factors in the quality of shots he faced.
Obobaifo (Calgary, Alta.) saw his 2024-25 Western Hockey League season cut short due to injury, but he managed to score six goals and add four assists for 10 points in 13 games. All six goals were scored in his first nine games of the season, which was officially shut down in December.
West (Edina, MN) is a 6-foot-6, 218 lb. centre who played most of the year with his hometown high school team in Edina, where he produced 27 goals and 49 points in 31 games. He also played in 10 games in the USHL with Fargo, where he tallied nine points (1G-8A).
Simpson (Shakopee, MN) is a 6-foot-0, 180 lb. forward who also spent most of the year with his hometown high school team, this time in Shakopee, where he registered 83 points in 31 games, including 49 goals.
The Giants have had 38 players in franchise history drafted to the NHL, most recently Richmond, B.C. product Tyler Thorpe, who was selected in the fifth round by the Montreal Canadiens last year and signed his three-year entry-level contract in April.
Round one of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft begins at 4:00 p.m. PT on Friday. Rounds 2-7 start on Saturday at 9 a.m. PT. Round one can be watched on Sportsnet and SN1.
