2025 NHL Draft Profile: Cameron Schmidt

So here's some fun facts about smaller players in the NHL. In the past decade, there have been eight players with a listed height of 5'7" or shorter to play a single NHL game. Of those, five played more than 100 games:

• Nathan Gerbe
• Rocco Grimaldi
• Brian Gionta
• David Deharnais
• Stephen Gionta

You may have noticed that all of these players are older. None of them are still in the NHL – the most recent is Grimaldi, who last played in the NHL in 2021/22 for Nashville, for all of seven games.

In addition, only four of the eight players were drafted in the NHL – Gerbe, Grimaldi, Gionta, and Trey Fix-Wolansky. The highest taken was Grimaldi in the 2nd round. So half were drafted, the other half were undrafted free agents.

Now, if you look at players who are just 5'8", there are now 26 players in total, 11 have played more than 100 games in the NHL, many of them as legitimate impact players – Martin St. Louis, Cam Atkinson, Tyler Johnson, Mats Zuccarello, Conor Sheary, Alex DeBrincat, Cole Caufield, Bobby Brink, and Logan Stankoven.

There's apparently a big difference in just one inch. Which means any player who is only 5'7" will have a big hill to climb to reach the NHL if they can't grow just that one extra inch.

Enter Cameron Schmidt.

THE BASICS: STATS AND CONTEXT

• Position: Right-shot winger
• League(s): WHL
• Height: 5'8"
• Weight: 160 lbs
• Birthdate: January 19th, 2007

Here are his draft rankings, as of writing this:

• Bob McKenzie: 30th
• Corey Pronman: 34th
• Will Scouch: 15th
• Elite Prospects: 22nd
• Scott Wheeler: 36th
• Dobber Prospects: 25th
• FC Hockey: 38th
• McKeen's Hockey: 38th
• HockeyProspect.com: Not ranked

Schmidt has had hype for a while. He was the seventh overall draft pick in the WHL back in 2022. Even then, he was listed as 5'7" but only 136 lbs. That season, he played in two U15 leagues. In one league, he had 92 points in 32 games, his 2.88 points per game almost a full point per game higher than the guy in second (1.94). In the other, he finished third in points per game with 41 in just 13 games. The next season, he made the jump to U18 leagues and was again among the league leaders in points per game in both despite being 1-2 years younger than most players in the league.

Schmidt played his first full season in the WHL last year as a 16 year old, where he had 31 goals and 58 points in 59 games. Among U17 players, he was 2nd in goals behind only uber-prospect Gavin McKenna, and fourth in points behind McKenna and two others who are locks to be first-round picks this year – Benjamin Kindel and Cole Reschny. But he was ahead in points per game.

Funnily enough, that repeated this year – Schmidt was second in goals among U18 players behind McKenna and fourth in total points behind McKenna, Kindel and Reschny. He finished with the most goals and points for his team, and league wide for all ages, he was 22nd – right behind Toronto prospect Borya Valis, who is three years older. He also led his team in playoff scoring, with 4 goals and 9 points in 5 games – a point on 9 of the 15 goals they scored in the series. He got a top line role at even strength and was on their top power play. If he got any time on the penalty kill, I never saw it.

Schmidt has also played for Team Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (5 goals in 8 games), Hlinka Gretzky tournament (4 points in 5 games), Canada-USA Prospect Challenge (2 points in 2 games), and at the current World U18 Championships (3 points in 5 games). He was never the team leader in points in these tournaments, but has been among the second tier – especially in goals.

THE GOOD: ELITE SKATING AND SKILL

The good part of Schmidt as a player is obvious: he is ridiculously skilled in all the flashiest ways. I'll start with his skating which is elite and among the very best in this draft. I'm not going to couch that as I have with other prospects. He is explosive and quick in his first two strides. He is agile and slippery as all hell. His top speed allows him to burn past just about every defenseman he's faced. Complementing this dynamic skating is his active off-puck movement in the offensive zone, where he constantly seeks open ice and positions himself as a shooting threat, demonstrating a knack for finding soft spots and timing his runs effectively.

In a lot of ways, Schmidt's game is defined by his exceptional skating and speed even more than his other exceptional skills. He plats at a blazing pace, which allows him to consistently generate separation from defenders and become a significant threat in transition. His ability to burn opponents wide and attack with speed makes him a scary presence when moving from one end of the ice to the other. His skating is why he is able to generate so many opportunities off the rush.

Adding to Schmidt's offensive arsenal is a high level of skill and a natural goal-scoring instinct. He is among the most skilled offensive players in this draft, with elite puck handling, shooting and playmaking. He is capable of pulling off highly creative and highlight-reel plays, often dangling through defenders with impressive puck control at speed. His strong puck control in tight spaces, aided by his shorter stick and adept edgework, allows him to navigate congested areas effectively and maintain possession under pressure.

But I think his second best skill behind his skating is Schmidt's shot, which can be completely ridiculous. He can get it off quick and at speed. It is hard and accurate. He can roof it from in tight and knows where to pick his spots. He also has a pretty ridiculous backhand, able to roof it in tight quarters with surprising velocity and accuracy. He has a knack for finding the back of the net and couples this with an excellent shot, thanks not just to having the power and accuracy, but also the ability to use some deception in his shot to surprise goalies and shoot through defenders.

Beyond his raw skill, Schmidt has a high work ethic and is very competitive. He's not quite as psycho with it as other smaller players (cough NRob cough), but he shows a high amount of energy and work rate. He actively pursues loose pucks and engages in races, showcasing a proactive approach to retrieving possession. Despite his smaller stature, he possesses surprising strength, allowing him to be more effective in puck battles than his size might suggest. This combination of skill and determination underscores his willingness to compete and contribute beyond just offensive flash and flair.

Lastly, there's Schmidt's playmaking. To me, it looks like that's behind his skating, shooting, and puck handling but it is still at a high level. Honestly, I think one of the reasons why it's so effective is because his shot is such a weapon that defenses will sell out to stop that and leave him passing lanes as a result. Between that and his shifty skating style and high end puck handling, he is able to create passing lanes for himself more than having it just given to him. And there's also an element of his shot as a way to create scoring chances for his teammate – he's able to get it off so often and it's so hard to handle for goalies that it creates rebounds and chaos in front.

THE FLAWS: VERY SMALL AND ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT COME WITH THAT

The main concern with Schmidt, obviously, is the physical side of the game. Smaller players are more easily kept to the outside and need some mix of a high end brain and physical determination to break through and still get to the dirty areas of the ice. Schmidt has the skill and the skating already, and does somewhat have the will to try to break through even if he has to take some hits to get there. But that doesn't mean he's that effective at it, even now in junior. He gets shut down along the boards and pushed away from the front of the net, so he'll rely on speed or sneaking around. So far it looks more like his speed and skill is good enough to succeed in spite of being held to the mid and outer ranges more often, and if he gets close to the net it's mostly off rushes where he has the space and time to just blow by defensemen.

While smaller players are able to make the NHL, there's a specific type of smaller player in terms of what they're good at to overcome the natural limitations that comes from being so small compared to most NHL competition. He has the high end skating and skill, but one thing I'm less sold on is his ability to process the game in a way to overcome his physical limitations. He doesn't have the same high end brain that keeps him a step ahead. That's not to say he has low "hockey IQ", just that it doesn't seem to be at the same level.

Finally, Schmidt's defensive game is an area that needs as much improvement as he can give it, despite his physical limitations. He is such a good and quick skater, he can afford to use it on the backcheck to get himself and his stick in the way, look to steal pucks, and so on. He can get caught high in the defensive zone and can lose his assignment, sometimes focusing too intently on the puck rather than his man. His positioning and awareness in his own end need to become more consistent and reliable for him to develop into a more well-rounded and trustworthy player at higher levels.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

On all his skills alone, Schmidt is easily a first-round pick. But there's absolutely no way around the fact that he is only 5'7". Not only that, but it's hard to believe he still has a late growth spurt in him – he is the same 5'7" as he was when he was drafted into the WHL three years ago. And even if he does add another inch or two, and gets into a more realistic height range like 5'8" or 5'9", it's still a major uphill battle for him.

I think his talent alone will mean some team will take a flyer on Schmidt, the question is where? Most public outlets have him in the first round, but the usual outlets that are more aligned with what NHL teams seem to think aren't as high on him. Bob McKenzie had him narrowly in the first round at 30th back in January. Corey Pronman didn't rank him at all, though he didn't go past 32 players. NHL Central Scouting had him 43rd among North American skaters... making him a borderline third rounder in their eyes.

I would also point out that there is a long history of very talented point producing forwards who are small who, when drafted fall from their final rankings into the second and third rounds. Logan Stankoven, DeBrincat, and Lane Hutson are the more well-known examples in recent years. Schmidt seems like a guy who is more likely to go through the same experience when the draft comes around. I'm going to predict that his final draft rankings by Bob McKenzie roughly stay put, maybe slip a bit, so where he is still a borderline first rounder, an early second rounder at worst. But then on draft day, he slips even further than that into the mid to late second round.

The next question is: who would draft him? There are teams who are more likely to take a flyer on smaller guys with higher picks – Carolina, the Penguins under Dubas, the Flyers, and Montreal come to mind. I would throw in the Dallas Stars, since they chose Stankoven, perhaps the most recent example of a very small (5'8") player who has worked out in the NHL. However, there are two important things I am keeping in mind about that pick. First, the top scout who was reportedly behind that pick is now with Toronto as their Director of Amateur Scouting. Second, Stankoven was a second-round pick after Dallas took 6'1" Wyatt Johnston with their first-round pick.

That is important because I could see Toronto taking Schmidt based on that, but I'm wondering if they're less likely to because this will be their best draft pick this year. It's easier to take a swing on a riskier pick like that when you can take a 'safer' option before that. The other thing is, there are a lot of teams who will have one or more draft picks before Toronto's even comes up, including all of those teams I mentioned above. Carolina will have a late first rounder, but no seconds. Pittsburgh has two first rounders and Dubas is known to trade down. Montreal and Philadelphia each have tons of picks in the top two rounds.

I'd definitely be intrigued, even if I would have a bit of anxiety about it. It could be the biggest chance Toronto has to add game breaking talent to the lineup without a first-round pick. That's also true for other smaller players in this year's draft like Adam Benak, who is more of a playmaker but is also 5'7" and ranked a bit behind Schmidt. So if he's available, and other guys I'm high on aren't available? I say roll the dice and giddy up.

Thanks for reading!

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