Cam on down! Thunderbirds swoop in with massive trade for Stars prospect Schmidt

By Cami Kepke January 5, 2026

Kent, Wash. – WHL Trade Deadline action is in full swing, and the Seattle Thunderbirds have entered the fray.

The 2023 WHL Champions have acquired Dallas Stars prospect Cameron Schmidt from the Vancouver Giants in a Monday blockbuster deal.

In return, the Giants will receive defenceman Kaleb Hartmann, a first-round pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft, a second and fifth-round pick in 2027, a first-round pick in 2028 and a conditional 2028 fourth-round pick.

Three on the night, 25 on the season for Cameron Schmidt!@WHLGiants | @DallasStars | #WHLHatTricks pic.twitter.com/pDgo1CfpW3

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 29, 2025

Schmidt, 18, sits second in points and goals among all WHL players with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points in 39 games.

He’s also tied for second in game-winning goals with six and has a pair of shorthanded tallies to his name.

The 5-foot-8, 158-pound winger is on pace for a career-best season with a dominant campaign that includes a hat trick, a four-goal game and a tie for the WHL record for fastest goal to start a game (five seconds).

Schmidt has never scored fewer than 30 goals in a full WHL season, potting 31 in his rookie run in 2023-24 and 40 in his draft year.

The Dallas Stars selected Schmidt with the 94th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft.

He arrives in Seattle on milestone watch with 99 goals, 98 assists and 197 career points under his belt, while also in the midst of a league-best 20-game point streak (15G-19A).

The Prince George, B.C. product has also won gold medals at the 2023 U17 World Challenge (where he scored the title-clinching goal), 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Notably, he’s competed alongside Seattle Thunderbirds captain and Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes at the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup and U18 Worlds.

STRAIGHT TO THE HISTORY BOOKS!@DallasStars prospect Cameron Schmidt has tied the WHL Record for fastest goal to start a game with his five-second tally against the Vees.

📝 | https://t.co/yKX4sIJBT9 @WHLGiants | #WHLStats pic.twitter.com/Uhe6WIMdIx

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) November 29, 2025

Langley, B.C. product Hartmann is hometown-bound.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound blueliner has six points (2G-4A) in 33 contests with Seattle this season and was originally selected by the T-Birds with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

He’s eclipsed 150 WHL games and has picked up 27 career points (6G-21A) over parts of four seasons.

Seattle (14-17-2-2) sits 12th in the Western Conference but is only seven points out of a playoff berth with the fewest games played in the league.

The Thunderbirds’ push for a playoff berth continues on Wednesday, January 7, as they continue a Central Division road trip in Lethbridge.

Vancouver (16-22-1-1) looks to snap a three-game slide on Friday, January 9, as it hosts the streaking Tri-City Americans.

Cam on down! Thunderbirds swoop in with massive trade for Stars prospect Schmidt

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