Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Bil La Forge raised eyebrows when he traded away one of the WHL's best 18-year-olds and acquired another in a separate deal while sitting near the bottom of the standings.
But the decisions to ship Vancouver Canucks prospect forward Braeden Cootes to the Prince Albert Raiders and get WHL scoring leader Cameron Schmidt from the Vancouver Giants earlier this month weren't made without thinking hard about the present and the short-term future.
"You won't find a bigger Braeden Cootes fan than myself," La Forge said in a telephone interview. "But with the likelihood of him not being back next year and the deal we got (Seattle received four players and four draft picks in the first three rounds), I was pretty clear going in that I would (only) consider moving him if I got what I found to be a deal we couldn't pass up and I felt we got that.
"Once doing that, I also have a strong belief in the group we have in our room right now. I wanted to add to our group this year but also make us a potential powerhouse next season. ... Adding the top scorer in the league and one of the most dynamic offensive players made a lot of sense to us. We could package that with some of the other moves we made."
La Forge's moves represent the kind of thinking CHL general managers have to do in the new junior/NCAA/NHL landscape.
Cootes, a first-round pick and a member of Canada's world junior team, started the year with the Canucks and will get every chance to make the NHL squad next season. The five-foot-eight Schmidt, a third-round Dallas Stars pick, faces more of an uphill climb to play in the NHL in 2026-27.
Of course, there are no sure things. The NHL is trying to hammer out a deal with the CHL to allow one 19-year-old per team to play in the AHL, and the NCAA also can be an option. But the odds are far better of Schmidt being back in the WHL compared to Cootes. And with the Thunderbirds having a roster that looks poised to contend for a championship next season, La Forge decided to shake things up.
The early results are solid. The Thunderbirds are 3-2-1 with Schmidt in the lineup and the native of Prince George, B.C., has extended his point streak to 26 games.
"It was kind of getting to the end there and obviously trades are things that happen all the time," said Schmidt, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Monday. "I had a feeling something like that was going to happen. Getting a new start and a new place, new team, new group of guys, new setting, it's definitely been good so far."
Recent history suggests the gap between top WHL playoff teams and lower-seeded teams might not be as big as some other leagues.
The Thunderbirds, as the eighth and final team in the Western Conference playoffs last season, took the top-seeded Everett Silvertips to six games before falling in double overtime. In the Eastern Conference, No. 7 Edmonton took No. 2 Prince Albert to seven games before bowing out.
Seattle will get a better idea where it stands when it entertains the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets on Friday and then travels to Everett, Wash., to meet the Western Conference-leading Silvertips on Saturday.
"I think we're a scary team if we get (to the playoffs) because we play fast, we play hard and we're never an easy out," said La Forge, who built a WHL runner-up in 2022 and a league champ and Memorial Cup finalist in 2023.
"I think next year we have the foundation of a really, really strong team."
Schmidt always has had to answer questions about his size. But his smaller stature hasn't held him back in the WHL, where he was a 40-goal man last year and has 32 goals and 37 assists for 69 points in 45 games this season.
"At the start, I obviously embraced (being a smaller player)," Schmidt said. "At this point with what I've been able to do, I don't really think it's much of a problem and it's not something I really think about anymore or have an issue with."
Added La Forge: "He doesn't take any shortcuts on the ice. He doesn't shy away from any areas. You don't score that many goals without scoring some from greasy areas."
The Stars also had big success with another small player from the WHL recently. The five-foot-eight Logan Stankoven was the big piece sent to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen blockbuster last season.
"I was able to watch him grow up and play and I've been able to grow up and play in the same league and get drafted by Dallas as well," Schmidt said. "It's been a cool experience and definitely helps me see a future with Dallas after seeing what they did with Stankoven."
Schmidt knows working on his 200-foot game will be the key to succeeding in the pro ranks.
If he can improve in that department and keep scoring, his future is very bright.
"I like guys that play with extreme compete levels and obviously the skill speaks for itself," La Forge said. "Just the passion he plays the game with really fits our group. He loves to play hockey."
Schmidt's immediate focus is helping the Thunderbirds climb into a playoff spot. Keeping that point streak going certainly would come in handy for Seattle.
"I like the point streak more than leading the league (in scoring)," Schmidt said. "It's just showing that I can keep that consistency every game. I'm trying to build my game in different directions, but having consistency in your game is something you want."
Quite a start
Ivan Ryabkin is giving the Charlottetown Islanders a big boost months after the team picked the Russian-born forward 21st overall in last summer's CHL import draft.
The Carolina Hurricanes second-round pick, who was assigned to Charlottetown from the AHL earlier this month, had two goals and six assists in his first three QMJHL games last weekend as the Islanders went 2-1.
Playing on a line with Ontario native and 31-goal man Nathan Leek, Ryabkin gives veteran coach Jim Hulton's team a true dynamic duo. The Islanders are fifth in the QMJHL's Eastern Conference, just two points out of third.
Flames prospect out
Calgary Flames prospect forward Cullen Potter will undergo season-ending surgery for an undisclosed injury, Arizona State announced this week.
Potter, a first-round pick (32nd overall) by the Flames last year, had 12 goals and 14 assists in 24 games in his sophomore season.
Games to watch
Friday, Jan. 23: St. Thomas Thommies (14-7-3) vs. Lake Superior State Lakers (9-14-1), 7:05 p.m. ET
The Lakers are crossing the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge to play this NCAA game at GFL Memorial Gardens in their Ontario sister city. Considering the new CHL recruiting rules, it makes plenty of sense for the college team to take over the Soo Greyhounds' barn for one night.
Saturday, Jan. 24: Moncton Wildcats (29-8-2-1) at Chicoutimi Sagueneens (31-6-3-2)
The top two teams in the QMJHL square off for the second time in a week. The Sagueneens won 7-4 on Hockey Day in Canada last Saturday in Moncton, N.B.
Saturday, Jan. 24: Medicine Hat Tigers (32-7-3-2) at Prince Albert Raiders (32-6-4-0), 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. ST
The Raiders snapped Medicine Hat's 19-game win streak last weekend with an 8-5 road victory. Cootes and Montreal Canadiens prospect defenceman Bryce Pickford of the Tigers are two of the marquee players in this WHL showdown.
Sunday, Jan. 25: Barrie Colts (28-10-8-4) at Brantford Bulldogs (30-7-5-1), 2 p.m. ET
Two OHL teams loaded with world junior talent battle it out in the Telephone City. The Colts enter the week on a 10-game point streak.
