Dallas prospect Cameron Schmidt (2025 3rd round, 94th overall) registered 100 points (51G 49A) this season with Vancouver and Seattle, leading the Thunderbirds to the WHL playoffs and a first-round matchup with Penticton in the Western Conference. Schmidt fell to the 3rd round in 2025 due to his 5’8″ stature, although he is a giant in the Stars’ prospect system. As the Stars sit near the bottom of the league’s prospect pools, they are very much in need of youthful talent in their organization. It appears that Schmidt, among others, fits that bill.
Upon trading Braeden Cootes (VAN 2025 1st round, 15th overall) in early January, Seattle was definitely in need of elite scoring power. Enter Schmidt, acquired at the time of Cootes’ departure, who led the Thunderbirds in scoring by 45 points, and finished third in league scoring behind twin brothers Markus & Liam Ruck (2026 draft-eligible).
At the start of 2025-26, NHL Central Scouting listed Schmidt as the #3 prospect in the Stars’ system. He was preceded in that ranking by Lian Bichsel (#1) and Emil Hemming (#2). With Bichsel graduating to full-time NHL status this season, that leaves Schmidt and Hemming (2024 1st round, 29th overall) as the front-runners, as those players have only enhanced their status as top prospects with their respective performances this season (currently in the AHL, Hemming amassed 63 points [26G 37A]) for Barrie in the OHL earlier this year). This is an excellent duo the Stars’ can utilize to begin their prospect pool rebuild.