Schmidt Delivers Best Bench Press Score in Fitness Testing at NHL Combine

Buffalo, NY – Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt showed well in fitness testing at the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine on Saturday, finishing top-20 out of 90 draft-eligible players in seven different tests.

Among his best results were: the top score in the bench press (7.82 watts/kilogram), tying for the second-best agility in the shuttle run, right (4.21 seconds) and tying for the fifth-most consecutive pull-ups (12 – tied with eight others). The bench press is not about doing the most reps; instead, each player performs three reps at maximum velocity, with a pause between each rep. A device is used to measure the velocity of the bar and the athlete’s ability to produce power.

The Prince George, B.C. product also finished T-10th in the pro agility shuttle run, left (4.33 seconds), T-15th in mean power output for the Wingate Cycle Ergometer Test (11.5 watts/kg), 16th in the standing long jump (109.8 inches) and T-19th in the vertical jump with arm swing (21.35 inches).

Schmidt was the 43rd ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting on their final list for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, but many draft rankings have him higher, including Tony Ferrari’s May ranking for The Hockey News (14th overall), Elite Prospect’s April ranking (16th overall), Rachel Doerrie’s June ranking for ESPN (19th overall) and Scott Wheeler’s final ranking for The Athletic (36th overall).

Schmidt, who was measured at the combine at 5-foot-7.5 and 160 lbs., became just the sixth Giant skater ever to score 40 or more goals in a single season, after finishing the 2024-25 campaign with 40 goals and 78 points in 61 games. He, Evander Kane and Brendan Gallagher are the only Giants to ever score at least 40 goals as a 17-year-old. Schmidt also led the Giants in playoff scoring with nine points in five games (4G-5A).

Internationally, the right-shot winger won his third gold medal with Team Canada in May at the IIHF U-18 World Championship. Schmidt also won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer and at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in November of 2023.

For a look at the top 25 finishers in all categories from the Scouting Combine, click here.