WHL GMs busy Monday with pair of blockbusters ahead of Thursday’s deadline

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 6, 2026.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The WHL’s trade market heated up Monday with the trade deadline on the horizon.

A total of seven trades were executed Monday ahead of the WHL trade deadline on Thursday at 6 p.m. MST.

The day was headlined by four moves involving the Vancouver Giants (16-22-1-1) who sit last in the B.C. division.

Vancouver traded 2007-born forward Cameron Schmidt (Dallas Stars) to the Seattle Thunderbirds (14-17-2-2) in exchange for 2007-born defenceman Kaleb Hartmann and five draft picks. The draft package includes a first-round pick in the 2026 WHL Draft (Calgary’s), a second- and fifth-round pick in 2027, a first-round pick in 2028 and a conditional 2028 fourth-round pick.

Schmidt sits second in the league in both goals and points, with 27 and 60 in 39 games. He is tied for second in the league with six game-winning goals and has scored no fewer than 30 per season in his career, recording 40 last year and 31 in his rookie season.

Hartmann has two goals and six points in 33 games this season with Seattle.

The Giants then acquired NHL Draft prospect Mathis Preston from the Spokane Chiefs (19-19), as well as a conditional 2029 second-round pick, in exchange for 19-year-old defenceman Marek Howell, NHL Draft-eligible forward Tyus Sparks (2008) and a first-round pick in the 2026 Draft.

Preston has 14 goals and 32 points in 36 games this season. He had nine goals and 16 points in 20 postseason games in Spokane’s run to the WHL championship series last season. He received an ‘A’ rating from NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s October preliminary list for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Howell has four goals and 10 points in 40 games this season with Vancouver. Speakers has 16 goals and 37 points in 40 games.

Vancouver and the Edmonton Oil Kings (26-7-3-1) executed a swap of forwards, with the Giants sending 2007-born Aaron Obobaifo and a conditional 2029 third-round pick to Edmonton for 2008-born forward Joe Iginla and a conditional 2028 third-round pick.

Iginla has 11 goals and 21 points in 37 games this year, his sophomore season in the WHL. The younger brother of Kelowna Rocket Tij Iginla and the youngest son of Hockey Hall-of-Famer and WHL great Jarome Iginla, is a ‘C’ rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting.

Obobaifo has 10 goals and 26 points in 37 games this season. He had six goals and 10 points in nine games to start last season before missing the rest of the year with injury.

The Giants also traded 2007-born defenceman Colton Alain to the Swift Current Broncos (9-26-2) on Monday, in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, originally belonging to the Portland Winterhawks. Alain has a goal and five points this season.

Swift Current opened the day by trading 2007-born defenceman Brennen Hocher and the rights to 2010-born forward John Gramer to Seattle for defenceman Hyde Davidson (2006), the rights to Cruise Armstrong (2010) and a conditional 2028 fifth-round pick.

Davidson was part of the Thunderbirds’ 2023 championship and has a goal and four points in 24 games this season. Armstrong, son of Red Deer Rebels alum Colby Armstrong, was the 15th overall pick in the 2025 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.

Hocher has four assists in his first 34 WHL games. The Broncos picked Gramer 35th overall in the 2025 U.S. Draft.

The East division-leading Prince Albert Raiders (27-5-4) traded 2007-born forward Oli Chenier to the Lethbridge Hurricanes (12-26-0-1) in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, originally belonging to the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Chenier has three goals and 13 points in 30 games this season.

The Red Deer Rebels (11-20-2-2) traded 2008-born forward Noah Milford to the Penticton Vees (20-9-4-3) for a 2028 fifth-round pick. Milford has four goals and 10 points in 28 games this season.

The Rebels made a trio of trades Friday, sending out three players while receiving four others and five draft picks.

They sent defenceman Keith McInnis (2006) to the Kelowna Rockets (17-14-3-2) in exchange for forward Kalder Varga (2028), a 2026 sixth-round pick (Spokane’s) and a 2028 third-round pick.

McInnis has six goals and 20 points in 34 games this season. Varga has eight goals and 11 points in 34 games this season,

Red Deer traded defenceman Luke Vlooswyk (2007) and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Everett Silvertips (29-5-2-1), receiving forward Cole Temple (2207) and defenceman Cameron Dillard (2008).

Vlooswyk, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, had six assists in 32 games this season. Temple has a goal and nine points in 43 games this season. Dillard has two goals and three points in 17 games this season.

Seattle picked up Rebels forward Matthew Gard (2007), sending the Central division team forward Cameron Kuzma (2008), a 2028 third-round pick (Lethbridge’s) and conditional fourth-round selections in 2028 and 2029.

Gard, a Flyers prospect, has six goals and 11 points in 23 games this season. Kuzma has four goals and 10 points in 32 games this year.

There was a total of 32 trades executed in the five days leading up to the 2025 WHL Trade deadline on Jan. 9.