2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Cameron Schmidt

Upside Hockey's NHL Draft profile series: B's and C's Edition, Vol. 8

Upside Hockey’s prolific prospect profiler Trevor Curtis’s 2025 NHL draft eligible prospect profiles are all featured on our dedicated page for this with all featured prospects indexed in our table of contents alphabetically by last name. For the 2024 NHL Draft, we had well over 200 prospect profiles completed.

Draft Thoughts (B's and C's Edition, Vol. 8):

RW Cameron Schmidt (5'7",157lbs)

Vancouver (WHL): 61gp/ 40g/ 38a/ 78pts, -7, 44 PIM

Cameron Schmidt, Vancouver Giants (Photo Credit: James Doyle - Prince George Cougars)

It was a tale of two season for winger Cam Schmidt (ranked # 43 NA Skaters, # 30 by McKenzie, # 8 by Button), one before his injury in early December (I believe it came from a slash to his wrist), and the one after. In 23 games before missing 4 contests because of that injury, he put up an incredible 24 goals and 37 points; but in 38 games after the injury, he only managed 16 goals and 41 points.

He still finished the season as the top-scorer on a mediocre Vancouver Giants squad that were 13th in the WHL over the course of the regular-season, and was likewise their best player in the post-season, with 4 goals and 9 points in just 5 games- ahead of the next-highest scorer by 4 points.

If he would have been able to continue at his pre-injury pace, he would have produced a prorated 98 points in 61 games- or 109 points over 68 games, which makes sense when considering that his 58 points in 59 games in his D-minus-1 is the 55th-best season all-time in the WHL for a U-17 player. Schmidt won multiple gold medals over the last year, most recently at the U-18's (2 goals and 4 points in 7 games), and in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup (3 goals and 4 points in 5 games). He is a small, but speedy winger with a fiery disposition, and a knack for scoring goals.

A volume shooter, his most attractive trait may be his NHL-caliber shot, which explodes off his blade with a paralyzing release and the precision to find it's way through the smallest holes- which is true for both his blistering wrister, and his bomb of a one-timer. Schmidt plays well around the net, positioning himself to clean up garbage in the crease, and exhibits smart off-puck positioning that always finds him in the right place, at the right time with his stick on the ice. He stealthily sneaks behind defenders, locating gaps in high-danger areas to set up his sniper's nest, and will drive the net like a power-forward to finish in-tight- with soft hands to deke out goalies. He can fire on net from anywhere in the zone, and can bulge the twine from bad angles.

Schmidt's next-best asset is his explosive skating, which includes rapid acceleration up to a game-breaking top-speed- he can beat opponents wide, separate in open-ice, and win most races to loose pucks. Despite his diminutive stature, he manages to push defenders back, and keeps them on their heels with his pace; his edges are smooth as well, giving him superb maneuverability, with the capacity to change speed and direction almost instantly. He is slippery and evasive, and hard to catch. Schmidt gets off the wall with possession, and has the puck-skill and tight handling to match his lightning-quick feet- he maintains control at top-speed and in tight-areas while under pressure, catches smoothly in-flight, and solves problems on the fly. In receptions, he can settle down wild passes to gain control while in-motion, and has a soft-touch on his passes, often with the perfect amount of weight and velocity in his feeds. With a low center of gravity, he can protect well, and is difficult to knock off the puck.

To compliment his goal-scoring ability, he also possesses a high-end brain, with solid playmaking chops, faciltated by his sublime vision and offensive awareness. He's creative, and locates passing lanes through traffic to connect with teammates on some fairly dynamic plays, while using delays and cut-backs to open space, and patiently drawing pressure to uncover passing seams.

Schmidt has a giant chip on his shoulder, and despite his diminutive stature, he doesn't back down from physical confrontations- he plays through checks, and initiates contact. He's a battler, and will compete in hard areas for loose pucks without fear. Still, he can be pushed around, and struggles to win 50/50 battles, and his size deficiency affects his impact in the defensive zone.

With his speed and hands, he's a high-value contributor to his team's transition, and can skate complex routes through the neutral zone while using delays and cut-backs to hit an open man for the entry. He gets involved defensively, and uses his aggression, tenacity, and physicality to remove time and space, separate man from puck, and disrupt the opposing team's cycle. He displays good awareness, and positions himself well in his own zone. Schmidt needs work on his decision-making, as he sometimes tries to do too much on his own, and he can hold on to the puck for too long- which sees him skate himself into trouble.

His size is his biggest detriment, and always will be, and even though he's not afraid of the rough-going, he still loses battles and can be pushed around by bigger opponents. I'm betting that the real Cam Schmidt is the player we saw in progression from his performance in 2023-24, to the show he put on in the first 23 games of 2024-25. Look for him in the second-round this summer.