Ryan Lin is coming off an impressive rookie year with the Vancouver Giants. At 17 years old, the Richmond-born defenceman just completed a stellar Western Hockey League debut season. 

Lin’s passion for the puck was forged early through a sibling connection; having an older brother that got him into the game at about three years old. “My brother is two years older than me and started playing hockey when he was five. I just followed him and whatever he did at the time. My dad put me in skates before I can even remember”.

Lin’s dedication is certainly paying early dividends, having completed an impressive 2024/2025 campaign; recording 53 points in his rookie year. In the process he shattered the Vancouver Giants franchise record for most points by a 16-year-old rookie defenceman and is one of just two WHL ‘D-men’- aged 16 or younger—to record 50+ points in a season—within the last 35 years.

The last player to accomplish such a feat was 4-time Stanley Cup Champion and 7-time NHL All-Star, Scott Niedermayer, in 1989-90 with the Kamloops Blazers. 

To add further to the teen’s vaunted rookie season, Lin won a Gold Medal with Hockey Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship earlier this month.

He previously won Gold at the World U17 Hockey Challenge last November and represented Canada at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. To win a championship for your country is an experience that athletes acknowledge as being second to none.

“It’s been the best thing in my hockey career to play for Canada,” says Lin, of representing his country. “It is the biggest honour and I’m super proud to wear the Maple Leaf. When you win, it is the best feeling and the memories from the experience last a lifetime”.

In his short time in hockey he has clearly proven to be a standout. “The rookie season that Lin just put together was arguably the best any Giants 16-year-old has ever had,” says Nathan Kanter, Vancouver Giants, Director of Broadcast and Media Relations. 

With a +11 (plus-minus rating) for the Giants this past season, Ryan Lin tied for second and ranked in the Top 10 in the WHL in average ice-time per game.

Additionally, he had the third-most productive rookie season by any Giants skater, trailing past star players: Gilbert Brule (60 points, 2003-04) and Cameron Schmidt (58 points, 2023-24).

“While scoring forwards like Brule and Schmidt turned heads in their first year in the WHL with their goal scoring ability, Lin excelled at defending and killing plays—which is much more difficult to do when your opponents are bigger and stronger. His gap control; something many younger players struggle with was almost always perfect.” 

Lin now holds the Vancouver Giants all-time record for points by a rookie defenceman, regardless of age.

“My approach coming into the season is to work as hard as I can and prove that I deserve the opportunities that they gave me,” says Lin. “I am very dedicated to hockey—I live it and breathe it and wouldn’t give it up for anything”. 

Away from the rink Lin stays ultra competitive and can’t get away from sports, listing Golf and Spike Ball as the two he most frequently plays. As for specific hockey goals: “My short-term goal is to have the best upcoming season I can personally, and accomplish a lot as a team. 

“My long-term goal is to make the NHL and have a lengthy hockey career”.Lin patterns his game after fellow standout D-Men like Colorado’s Cale Makar and Vancouver Canucks Captain, Quinn Hughes.  “They are offensive defensemen who are elite skaters and can beat players one-on-one.”

While playing for your hometown team can add a level of pressure, Lin enjoys being seen in familiar surroundings. “I didn’t realize it too much till this past year how lucky I am to play and it’s so cool that I get to share my hockey journey with my friends and family in Vancouver”.

And let it not be understated, this dedicated future star is leaving nothing to chance. “The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given in my hockey career is to control what I can control and not worry about anything else.” 

“As a player you’re not going to control your ice time or who you play with, or even how you’re going to get to the next level but you can control your attitude and work ethic whenever you play and that’s what I focus on”. 

Lin’s mobility is elite and Kanter adds that it’s not just his straight-away speed that stands out. “He relies heavily on his edges for tight turns and stops and starts to evade fore-checking pressure and exit the puck cleanly,” he states.

“His stamina is incredible: his stride is effortless and he never seems to get tired. 

“Leading all Giants in ice-time per game as a rookie; his “hockey IQ” is off the charts too. “He’s always scanning the ice and doing ‘shoulder checks’ to know when pressure is coming and his passing is also excellent”. 

And while there are no guarantees that a successful junior career will translate to NHL success, Ryan Lin’s work ethic and dedication certainly serves as added motivation. “I know that the window to be successful in hockey is very small,” he admits, adding, “which means you have to be disciplined. My approach is to get 1 per cent better every day and not to take the opportunity I have for granted”.

Kanter is confident this is a big-league player in the making. “Ryan Lin is a sure fire NHLer thanks to his skill set, his competitiveness and attitude” he says.

“Many have him as a first-round draft pick in 2026. I would be shocked if that’s not the case”.

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