WHL Stock Watch: Cameron Schmidt pushing for top-10 spot with blazing start

The WHL scoring race has been tightly competed through the first couple of months of the season. 17 players are divided by just eight points, but one player is starting to pull ahead: Gavin McKenna, powered by 21 points in 11 games in October. 

In pursuit sit several draft-eligible forwards. Cameron Schmidt and Carter Bear are tied for second with 27 points, while Nathan Behm has already amassed 23 points with games in hand. All three have been breakout stars this season. 

Prince George's Riley Heidt and Terik Parascak are also making up ground, thanks to 20 and 19 points in October, respectively. Gracyn Sawchyn, arguably the most entertaining player in the league after McKenna, is finally enjoying an offensive breakout proportional to his skill. Meanwhile, a fourth draft eligible is climbing the scoring race, Calgary's Benjamin Kindel. 

Let's take a look at some of these exciting scorers.

Stock Rising 📈

Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver Giants (2025 NHL Draft)

After a five-goal weekend, Cameron Schmidt is back atop the WHL’s goalscoring race. He has two more than the second closest with two games in hand, and he’s scoring almost exclusively off high-danger chances. There isn’t a better off-the-pass shooter in the WHL right now, bolstered by his incredible speed and knack for finding openings behind the defence. 

Shooting at 38 percent, expect some regression from Schmidt. Even for a player who generates the highest value looks in the CHL, that’s about 15 percent higher than expected. On the inverse, his continued growth as a playmaker has likely earned him a few extra assists. 

Schmidt has the straight-line speed to outrace defenders to the net over and over, but he prefers to play a more projectable game. He fakes one way to go the other, punishes passive gaps by taking the middle, and subtly changes of pace to freeze defenders. Down low, he draws pressure before advancing the puck, throwing a reverse hit when necessary. No matter the position, he always deceives defenders before setting up a chance. 

Standing at 5-foot-7, Schmidt has to be special to be a top pick in the draft. So far, he looks like that, with high-end skating, scoring, playmaking, and a physical game that will help ease concerns about his size.

Gracyn Sawchyn, C, Edmonton Oil Kings (Florida Panthers)

Gracyn Sawchyn has played just 12 games and already amassed a season’s worth of highlights. Just some of the ways he creates: perfect aerial breakaway passes, high-speed snipes, precision passes through layers, deft in-tight finishes, and, of course, incredible 1-on-1 skill.  

It’s rare to see a player not only challenge defenders as much Sawchyn does – but also complete these plays. He doesn’t need space to pull off his moves, using superior hand speed, a knack for picking up subtle vulnerabilities, and endless creativity to escape multiple defenders. Most of these moves set up something, with Sawchyn beating an opponent to gain access to the cross-slot pass or a high-danger shot, rather than dangling for the sake of it. Even if his moves fail, he’s still getting pucks to the middle and drawing penalties (he’s drawn 11 in 12 games so far). 

With improvements defensively and physically, Sawchyn has also become more of a complete player. He’s always had the motor and skill to create inside contact, but now he’s winning more battles, creating turnovers, and launching defenders through the air. If he keeps this up, he could make the Florida Panthers out of camp next season. 

Harrison Brunicke, RD, Kamloops Blazers (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Though leading blueliners in scoring might not be attainable for Harrison Brunicke this season, there's a real chance he ends up as the WHL’s best defenceman. Since returning from the Pittsburgh Penguins, he's reached new heights in the WHL. 

There isn’t a part of Brunicke’s game that doesn’t look better than last season. Offensively, he’s just as involved while creating even more high-danger offence with his ability to manipulate defenders’ feet and push deeper into the zone. Defensively, he’s not only more punishing, but even better at stopping high-speed attacks. Even the fastest, most creative WHL attackers can’t navigate his suffocating gap, mobility, and precision stick work.

Though Brunicke is still making the odd mistake, particularly on retrievals, his mobility allows him to erase mistakes with ease. If he keeps down this path, he could become a top-four defenceman for the Penguins within a few years.

Ben Kindel, C, Calgary Hitmen (2025 NHL Draft)

A month ago, Benjamin Kindel was sitting at just three points in six games. Now, he has 19 in 15, powered by a seven-game point streak where he amassed eight goals and eight assists. He's only six goals back of last year's total with nearly 80 percent of the season remaining. 

No matter the zone, Kindel is always in the right position. He's a constant factor defensively, on the forecheck, and offensively because of his ability to close lanes, force turnovers, and find open ice. When he gets a puck inside space, he hangs onto possession, draws pressure, and then slips the puck through them to an open teammate. Like other top forward prospects, he's constantly shifting gaps and creating openings, and he has the skill and precision off either side of his blade to connect through the tiniest of lanes. 

Though Kindel doesn't have the size or explosiveness that NHL teams value heavily, his intelligence, vision, and uptick in goalscoring will surely ease concerns about his tools. 

Honourable Mentions: Andrew Cristall (Washington Capitals), Nathan Behm (2025 NHL Draft), Clarke Caswell (Seattle Kraken), Tomas Mrsic (St. Louis Blues), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers), Caden Price (Seattle Kraken), Matthew Gard (2025 NHL Draft), Miroslav Holinka (Toronto Maple Leafs), Kolten Bridgeman (2025 NHL Draft). 

Stock Steady ↔️

Berkly Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)

While most of the league’s top scorers have benefitted from the percentages being in their favour, Berkly Catton sits among the leaders without much shooting luck. If he shot at last year’s rate, he would have 10 goals and 27 points, the latter of which would be tied for second in the WHL. 

Still, this season hasn’t been a significant step for the league’s most dynamic rush attacker. All the same strengths appear nightly: overwhelming pace, high-speed shooting skill, give-and-gos, and flashy playmaking. The same weaknesses are there, with Catton struggling to create offence off the cycle some nights, getting pushed out battles too easily, and lacking some precision as a passer. As a result, he's had some tough nights early in the season. 

Of course, Catton is a special talent. He doesn't need to take a significant step to become an exciting scorer in the NHL – his rush game and dual-threat scoring are just that good. But he will have to keep expanding his game to become the high-end top-line scorer that he has the potential to be. 

Stock Falling 📉 

Reese Hamilton, D, Calgary Hitmen (2025 NHL Draft)

Entering the season, we thought Reese Hamilton was poised for a big-time breakout. The high-end mobility, non-stop involvement in the play, and flashes of advanced defensive details suggested a potential top-15 pick for the 2025 Draft. So far, Hamilton hasn’t replicated last year’s success. 

Hamilton’s production has dropped from 0.74 to 0.21 points per game, while he’s being used as Calgary’s No. 5 at even strength – and his minutes have been trending down lately. While he’s tightened up his rush defence, he’s throwing away more pucks along the end boards, getting overpowered in more wall battles, and having mistakes compound through shifts. At times, it seems like he’s doing things a little bit faster and looser than during his standout draft-minus-one season. 

Of course, there’s still plenty of time. With skating already a high-end tool and plenty of exciting flashes, it’s only a matter of time before he turns it around.