“Explosiveness is off the charts”: WHL-leading scorer Cameron Schmidt impresses ahead of CHL USA Prospects Challenge

Vancouver, B.C.- It’s a common refrain heard throughout the hockey season in the leadup to the annual NHL Entry Draft- projections and mock drafts ultimately mean nothing.

Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt, in particular, looks primed to prove early predictions wrong.

The offensive dynamo is on pace to blast past the 50-goal mark in his sophomore season and is one of the top goal-scorers across the Canadian Hockey League, so why was he initially tagged as a second or third-round pick by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s preliminary player list?

It simply might be hard for some to look past his 5-foot-7, 156-pound frame.

“I just try to use my height as an advantage,” Schmidt shrugged. “(I’m) a lot quicker and more agile than guys, and I’m able to protect the puck in different ways and use my body in different ways. I’ve just been trying my best to work on that and improve that part of my game.”

Indeed, few teams have found a way to slow Schmidt down since he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 2023-24.

After potting 31 goals as a rookie, he currently leads the WHL in goals with 22 goals (including four game-winners) in 19 games this campaign. He’s only been held off the scoresheet twice- and followed up both of those pointless games with three-point efforts.

Giants Head Coach Manny Viveiros is also quick to dismiss suggestions of Schmidt’s size holding him back.

“People forget that although Cameron is not the tallest player, he’s one of the strongest players on our team,” Viveiros explained. “His explosiveness is off the charts. He’s probably, by far, our fastest, most explosive player. So you know, strength comes in different forms and different sizes. Once teams understand and see how powerful he is in a small body, so to speak, I think that’ll kind of alleviate some of the concerns that they have.”

In fact, the goals aren’t even the aspect of Schmidt’s game that Viveiros is most proud of.

The 17-year-old has always been a scoring machine, but he’s put in the work to shore up other aspects of his game- particularly in the defensive zone.

“Last year when he was a 16-year-old, if we had puck possession in our zone, he would fly the zone a lot of time hoping for a breakaway or a scoring opportunity,” Viveiros explained. “Whereas this year he’s understanding that if he stays even longer in the D zone and defends first, he’s going to get the same amount of scoring chances. In fact, he’s got more.

“It’s his whole complete game. We’re certainly using him a lot more in key defensive situations, even penalty kill at times this year, too.”

The Prince George, B.C. product is looking to showcase his most complete game at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada in London and Oshawa, Ont. next week.

“I’m honoured to be a part of something like this, especially this year, with them only making one team and then going to Ontario and playing the U.S., which is something they’ve never done before,” Schmidt added. “It’s awesome to be a part of that, and I’m so excited to get there.”

While the new-look top prospect showdown isn’t a cut-and-dry Canada vs. USA tilt, Schmidt has previously thrived on the international stage.

He’s coming off a gold medal performance with Canada at this summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he tallied three goals and an assist in five games, and previously scored the overtime goal to lift Canada White to a gold medal at the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge.

Now, he’ll have a bigger spotlight than ever to showcase what he does best.

The CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada runs on October 26 and 27.