Pair of Stars Prospects Off to Hot Starts in Canadian Juniors

While some believe the Dallas Stars' prospect pipeline has little hope beyond a few names like Emil Hemming, the 29th overall pick in 2024, several prospects are off to strong starts this season, whether in the AHL, the NCAA or Canadian juniors. Two of them are playing in the latter, and one is expected to make the jump to the pro level soon.

Winger Ryan Brown was selected by Dallas in the fifth round of this past summer's NHL Draft. He is an energetic puck hound who battles for pucks and is a solid playmaker. The 19-year-old finished last season in the Ontario Hockey League with 22 goals and 41 assists for 63 points in 77 games, split between the Sarnia Sting and the London Knights. He helped London close out the regular season and its first round of the OHL playoffs.

This season, Brown is leading by example as London's captain, a role previously held by notable NHLers including Luke Evangelista, Evan Bouchard and Mitch Marner. He has directed the ship for the Knights, recording four goals and 19 assists for 23 points through his first 14 games.

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Elsewhere in Canada, one of the Stars' fastest-rising prospects since being selected in the third round of the 2025 Draft is Cameron Schmidt. The 19-year-old is in his age-20 season in the WHL with the Victoria Royals, building on a solid junior career. 

Last season he put up a spectacular 51 goals and 49 assists for 100 points in 72 games. He has been on a similar pace this year, with 13 goals and ten assists for 23 points in 14 games, putting him on track for close to 110 points.

Both players are still early in their development. Schmidt could make the jump to the pro level next season and join the Texas Stars in the AHL, while Brown is expected to join Ohio State University once his Canadian junior career ends. The two look like early draft gems, and how they continue to develop will be a key storyline for the future of the Stars franchise.

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