Dallas Stars Prospects Cameron Schmidt and Brad Gardiner Are Off to Red-Hot Starts in Canada

Cameron Schmidt looks exactly like the value pick Dallas hoped for. The Vancouver Giants winger has nine points in six games, jumping on loose pucks and slicing through neutral-zone traffic with pace.

What jumps off the screen is how Schmidt turns controlled exits into quick entries. Vancouver stacks speed underneath him, he cuts middle off the wall, and the slot chances follow when a weak side forward drags coverage down.

The release is violent, but it is the give-and-go timing that is landing. Vancouver's recent win featured Schmidt driving a line that piled up points, a tidy snapshot of how his touches tilt the ice.

As a fan, this is the fun part, when the tools show up shift after shift and you start imagining Schmidt next to Wyatt Johnston in a couple of years.

On to the OHL, where Brad Gardiner is doing captain stuff for Barrie. He has seven goals already, hammering net-front rebounds and hunting tips on the power play, a style that travels.

Barrie's early games show why Dallas liked him in 2023. Gardiner wins draws, arrives first on the forecheck, and lives in the interior, which has carried offense even in tight losses. He was the lone scorer in one defeat, then struck again on the man advantage.

For context, the Colts paid real futures to pry him from Ottawa last year, and the bet looks smart with his usage climbing in all situations. Those dirty-area touches are currency in April.

Zooming out, this is the development template Dallas keeps leaning into. Draft skill like Schmidt, trust motor and habits like Gardiner, let junior reps season the details, then plug into a system that values quick ups and layered entries. If these starts hold, Texas will get a lively spring injection, and Dallas will have options when injuries bite.