He’s already passed Bowen Byram’s stats as a 16-year-old and he’s one of three WHL rookie blue liners who could get to 50 points, which hasn’t happened since Scott Niedermayer
This Bowen Byram and Scott Niedermayer name dropping is brought to you by the stats rookie defenceman Ryan Lin has put up for the Vancouver Giants so far this season.
The 16-year-old Lin carries three goals and 30 points through 37 games into Vancouver’s match-up Friday with the Tri-City Americans at the Langley Events Centre.
Byram is one of the Giants’ best players ever. The Buffalo Sabres rearguard spearheaded Vancouver’s run to 2019 WHL championship series, and he was the No. 4 overall pick in that summer’s NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
Byram had six goals and 27 points in 60 regular season games in his 16-year-old season in 2017-18.
To play this out even further, the WHL as a whole hasn’t seen a 16-year-old rearguard put up 50 points in a regular season since Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer totalled 69, including 14 goals, in 64 games with the Kamloops Blazers in 1989-90.
The league has three players chasing that mark currently if you include Landon DuPont, the Everett Silvertips blueliner who was given exceptional status by Hockey Canada to play full time in the circuit this season at 15, which is a year earlier than players are usually allowed to start out as regulars.
DuPont has 11 goals and 43 points in 37 games.
Then there’s Victoria Royals freshman defender Keaton Verhoeff, who carried 14 goals and 33 points in 36 games into his team’s match-up with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night.
Lin and Verhoeff are eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. DuPont is in the mix the following summer.
For his part, Lin maintains he avoids any focus on individual stats.
“They’re just numbers,” said Lin, who is a Richmond native. “As long as I’m playing well and helping the team, the points don’t matter.”
His actions on the ice do align with his words. As flashy as his personal totals are and as skilled as he is, Lin shows an all-around game, with a dedication and determination defensively.
He kills penalties. He plays the last minute when Vancouver is protecting a one-goal lead. The Giants haven’t had a 16-year-old defenceman take on those tasks with regularity since Byram. Prior to that, it was probably David Musil in 2009-10.
Lin is ordinary size, listed at 5-foot-11 and 171 pounds. He’s quick, but you wouldn’t tag his skating as his primary asset. Lin’s main calling card is his hockey smarts. He always seems to be in the right spot. His game, particularly in Vancouver’s zone, is efficient. He plays much older than he is.
“I don’t like getting scored on. I don’t like being on the ice when we give up a goal,” Lin said. “I’m never going to sacrifice the defensive side for offence. I think I can do both.”
There are obvious challenges ahead. We are getting into new territory for Lin, like all 16 year olds in the WHL.
The Giants have another 27 games remaining, spread over 10 weeks. Lin played 28 regular season games in total last year with the Delta Hockey Academy Under-18 side.
The WHL doesn’t publish ice time stats, but it’s easy to guess that Lin and defence partner Mazden Leslie, 19, lead the Giants in that category on a regular basis.
“I think the more I play the more it kind of taxes. But I’ve found a routine and it’s helped minimize the damage,” Lin explained.
Giants rookie goalie Burke Hood, 17, added of Lin: “He’s young and you expect young guys to make mistakes, but he hasn’t made very many at all. He’s been incredible. Coming in as a 16-year-old, playing the minutes he plays, he’s done extremely well.”
Musil provides a cautionary tale in all of this, offering evidence that success at 16 doesn’t mean an extensive NHL career is automatic.
Musil has the Giants’ record for points by a 16-year-old defenceman, thanks to the 32 he amassed in 71 games in that 2009-10 season. He had seven goals that campaign.
It wound up being the most points he’d total in a year in a four-season run with the Giants. He broke his wrist one season. Those Giants teams struggled overall. Musil was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings in his 19-year-old campaign, as Vancouver wound up a seller on the way to a last-place finish.
Tri-City had the tiebreaker on Vancouver for sixth spot in the Western Conference as of Wednesday morning. The teams were tied in points but the Americans (21-14-2-1) had more wins than Vancouver (20-16-5-0). Tri-City also had three games in hand. They were slated to get one of those out of the way Wednesday night when they hosted the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The fifth-place Portland Winterhawks (23-15-2-1) were four points up on both teams to start the day, with the same number of games played as Vancouver. The fourth-place Victoria Royals (23-11-3-4), who hold down the final spot to have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, were eight points in front of both Tri-City and Vancouver.