BREAKING: Denver Lands Top-15 NHL Draft Prospect From WHL For Next Season
Denver secures a generational talent. The elite WHL offensive defenseman Ryan Lin commits to the Pioneers, bolstering their already formidable future.
David Carle and the Denver Pioneers have struck gold again, as they have now received an official commitment from Ryan Lin, the top-ranked 2008 birth year in the entire world. Lin, a 17-year-old from Richmond, British Columbia, is a top 15 prospect for this year’s rendition of the NHL Draft. Many analysts have him in the mid to low 10s, while even FloHockey compliments Lin as the #9 prospect.
‼️🚨BREAKING🚨‼️ A MAJOR CHL➡️NCAA domino has fallen per @SchlossmanGF @scottcwheeler The Denver Pioneers have received a HUGE commitment from Ryan Lin! 🪓🪓🪓 Projected top 15 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The ‘08 born Defenseman from Richmond, BC has 57 points in 53 GP… pic.
twitter. com/z7s1VHZr7O — College Puck NXT (@CollegePuckNXT) April 2, 2026 Lin finished his second full season in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants as a shining star on a team that could’ve used some more reinforcements. The Giants finished last in the Western Conference at a record of 25-39-2-2.
Lin led the team in points with 57, with the next player having 44, and was a Western Conference second-team all-star. He was a catalyst of the power play, tacking on 21 power play assists and 24 power play points, leading anyone else by 10 or more in each of those categories. The Canadian finishes his WHL career with an incredible 122 games and 112 points before even being 18 years old.