VIDEO INTERVIEW: Obobaifo Talks NHL Draft, Rehab
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Giants forward Aaron Obobaifo was limited to 13 games in his NHL draft season due to a recurring shoulder issue that eventually led to surgery, yet scouts liked his game so much he remained on NHL Central Scouting’s final list for the 2025 Draft under the ‘Limited Viewing’ category.
The Calgary native scored six goals and added four assists for 10 points, with all six goals coming in the first nine games of the season.
Because of the small sample size from the 2024-25 season, Obobaifo is well aware that it’s far from a guarantee that he gets selected at the draft next weekend. Regardless of what happens, he’s going in with a positive mindset.
“You can’t really expect anything going in to it,” Obobaifo said. “Just having that positive [mindset] that if I do or don’t get picked, I come back with a better mentality and be a better version of myself.”
The 18-year-old was given a 6-7 month timetable following shoulder surgery in January, and while he has been back on the ice for a couple months now, he is still only taking light contact and has roughly a month to go before he is back at 100%.
“The first few months it was just kind of getting my range of motion back because right after surgery my arm was really stiff,” Obobaifo said. “Going through it, it’s a mental process, but you’ve just got to stick with it and you can’t give up on it. There’s going to be good days and bad days, but in the end it’s all going to work out. I’m just happy I’m at the tail end of this rehab here.”
Obobaifo has had conversations with some NHL teams, where they’ve asked about his timetable and chatted about his game overall.
One thing the forward said he wants to work on this summer and next season is using his shot more.
“That’s where I think I need to improve the most,” Obobaifo said. “When I have a chance to shoot it, I [need to] shoot it. Another thing is shooting around defenders. Limit the blocked shots.”
Obobaifo said he enjoys watching Matthew Tkachuk and feels they have a similar play style.
“He uses his size and frame and his skillset too is really good,” Obobaifo said. “I like watching his game around the net and seeing what he can do when he has the puck on his stick.”
The NHL Draft takes place on June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles.
