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June 28 EST: Sometimes, hockey gives us a kid like Cameron Schmidt — undersized, overlooked, and utterly electric.
At just 5′7″, he doesn’t exactly fill the frame when he steps onto the ice. But blink, and he’s gone. Puck on his stick, wind in his skates, defenders in his rearview. That’s been the Cameron Schmidt experience in the WHL, and now it’s coming to the NHL — whether the league’s ready for it or not.
A Force Built in the WHL Trenches
Schmidt’s numbers with the Vancouver Giants say plenty. But they don’t say it all. He dropped 78 points in 61 games last season, backed it with nine playoff points in just five games, and showed up in every major junior tournament with something to prove — and something to prove it with.
He wasn’t just scoring. He was owning moments. Game-winners, power play snipes, OT daggers. In the 2023 U17 Challenge, he buried the golden goal for Canada White like it was backyard shinny. No hesitation. No wasted motion. Just the click of a stick and a flick of fate.
Draft Day — And a Slide
So what happened? Why did it take 94 picks for an NHL team to call his name? You know the answer before I say it.
He’s small. And NHL front offices, as much as they talk speed and skill, still raise eyebrows at sub-six-footers. But Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill isn’t one of them. And when Schmidt was somehow still on the board in Round 3, he pounced.
“Steal,” some are calling it. They might be right. If Schmidt was 6′0″, he’d be a top-20 pick — maybe higher.
Strengths That Break Games Open
Schmidt’s calling card is speed. Not just footspeed — thought speed. He processes the game fast. Makes decisions mid-stride. His release is lethal, his puck control makes space that shouldn’t exist. And when the net’s open? He hits it.
There are shades of Cole Caufield in how he plays. Some say Logan Stankoven, another undersized WHL phenom. Both comps work. But Schmidt isn’t trying to be anyone’s clone. He’s carving his own path — loud, fast, and a little defiant.
Work To Do — And He Knows It
He’s not a finished product. Not close. His game away from the puck still needs polish. At times, he can disappear defensively. But ask anyone who watched him this season — the effort’s there. He’s not dodging battles. He’s learning to win them.
That’s what Dallas is banking on: that this kid, still just 18 years old, can translate his wild engine and sniper’s eye into an NHL-ready toolkit. Development camp this summer, AHL ice time next fall — that’s the road ahead.
What’s Next?
Don’t expect a fast-track to the NHL. The Stars are stacked, patient, and deliberate. But when Schmidt’s name eventually hits that lineup card, it won’t be a gimmick. It’ll be because he forced their hand.
Cameron Schmidt doesn’t have size on his side. But he’s got everything else. And if history’s taught us anything about hockey — heart can weigh more than inches.
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