Maddox Schultz is a Canadian forward for the Regina Pats of the WHL, taken first overall in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft. In 2025-26 he set the Pats’ record for goals by a 15-year-old, passing Connor Bedard, and he is eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft.
| Fast facts: Maddox Schultz | |
|---|---|
| Current team | Regina Pats (WHL) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| Born | 15 March 2010, Medicine Hat, Alberta |
| Height / weight | 5’10” / 183 lbs, per Hockey Canada |
| WHL draft | 2025, 1st overall, Regina Pats |
| NHL draft | Eligible in 2028 |
| Contract status | WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with Regina, signed 15 August 2025. Not eligible to sign an NHL contract until he is drafted |
| Jersey | No. 19 |
Does Maddox Schultz have exceptional status?
Maddox Schultz had exceptional status at provincial level but not in the WHL. Hockey Saskatchewan granted it for 2024-25, when he was 14, so that he could play full time in the province’s U18 AAA league with the Regina Pats Canadians. In January 2025 he chose not to apply for WHL exceptional status, which would have let him play major junior full time at 15.
Hockey Canada’s new development model for Western Canada already allowed a player with status at a lower level to play up to 34 WHL games at 15, and he played exactly 34 in 2025-26. “It was just a family decision, and I thought it was good for me to develop and not play in the (WHL) full-time,” he told NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest. Exceptional status affects only junior eligibility, not the NHL draft year. Michael Misa and Landon DuPont both had full CHL exceptional status.
What year is Maddox Schultz eligible for the NHL Draft?
Maddox Schultz is eligible for the 2028 NHL Draft. NHL Central Scouting had not published any 2028 rankings as of September 2026, but NHL.com called him an early candidate for the first pick. “He’s so fast, strong, skilled and defensively responsible already,” Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote, calling him “the top prize as of now” among 2028 prospects.
What are Maddox Schultz’s career stats?
Maddox Schultz played minor hockey in Regina before splitting 2025-26 between the Pats and the U18 Pat Canadians. He was the Pats’ third first-overall WHL pick, after Colten Teubert in 2005 and Bedard in 2020.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Regina Pat Blues | U15 AA | 28 | 23 | 40 | 63 |
| 2023-24 | Regina Pat Blues | U15 AA | 27 | 63 | 71 | 134 |
| 2024-25 | Regina Pat Canadians | U18 AAA | 44 | 43 | 50 | 93 |
| 2025-26 | Regina Pat Canadians | U18 AAA | 21 | 30 | 30 | 60 |
| 2025-26 | Regina Pats | WHL | 34 | 15 | 14 | 29 |
In 2024-25 he was MVP and rookie of the year in the Saskatchewan U18 AAA league and led it in goals, assists and points. He scored his first WHL goal on 13 December 2025 against Kelowna. On 11 February 2026 at Saskatoon he became the youngest player in Pats history with a hat trick, tying the game with 18 seconds left and scoring the winner in overtime. His 13th WHL goal, on 15 March 2026, his 16th birthday, passed Bedard’s club record for a 15-year-old, and he finished with 15. Daily Faceoff called his 29 points the best by a 15-year-old forward in the WHL in the 2000s. He had six points in his first 12 WHL games and 23 in his last 22.
What has Maddox Schultz won?
Maddox Schultz won the 2025 Telus Cup, Canada’s national under-18 club championship, with the Regina Pat Canadians. He scored the winning goal 28 seconds into overtime in the 3-2 final against Lévis on 27 April 2025, was named tournament MVP and led all scorers with 20 points, as the youngest player at the event. His 20 points tied for fourth in Telus Cup history, behind Cliff Ronning, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Kerfoot, and it was Regina’s first title since 1999.
A year later he was MVP of the Telus Cup again and led the tournament with 17 points, according to Hockey Canada’s tournament profile, as Regina took bronze.
Has Maddox Schultz played for Canada?
Yes. Maddox Schultz won gold at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup as an alternate captain for Canada and tied for the tournament lead with ten points in five games. In the 8-1 final against the United States in Edmonton on 8 August 2026 he scored two power-play goals, the first of them the winner.
In 2025 he was the only 2010-born player invited to Canada’s U17 development camp, and at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge that November he played for Canada White, tied for the tournament lead with six goals and set up Liam Pue’s overtime winner in the semi-final against the United States. Canada White lost the final 6-3 to Canada Red and took silver.
Is Maddox Schultz a centre?
Yes. NHL.com describes Maddox Schultz as a centre, and he shoots left, although official rosters list him simply as a forward. His Hlinka Gretzky teammate Landon DuPont compared him to Sidney Crosby: “He plays the right way, he reminds me a lot of (Sidney) Crosby… such a complete player.”
Who is Liam Pue?
Liam Pue is Maddox Schultz’s teammate in Regina and one of the other top prospects for the 2028 NHL Draft. Regina took Pue third overall in the same 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, and the two signed with the Pats on the same day, 15 August 2025. They played together for Canada at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where Pue led the tournament with six goals.
Where is Maddox Schultz playing in 2026-27?
Going into 2026-27, Maddox Schultz was starting his first full WHL season with Regina, now allowed to play the whole schedule. The Pats hired David Bell as head coach in June 2026, after losing to Medicine Hat in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. “Those two names came up a lot in my research of taking the job,” Bell said of Schultz and Pue. Schultz was healthy and had points in the Pats’ preseason wins over Brandon.
Where is Maddox Schultz from, and how tall is he?
Maddox Schultz was born on 15 March 2010 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and grew up in Regina. His parents are figure skating coaches, and he started out as a figure skater at two before switching to hockey at eight. Hockey Canada lists him at 5’10” and 183 lbs, and he wears No. 19 for the Pats.
2028. This is frequently reported incorrectly as 2027. He was born in March 2010, which places him in the 2028 class.
He was granted exceptional status at the sub-junior level as a 14-year-old, allowing him to play U18 AAA hockey early. He did not pursue full WHL exceptional-player status for early NHL draft eligibility.
He was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan — where the Pats then drafted him first overall in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft.
Vicki and David Schultz, both figure skating coaches, who built a custom skating program for him. He started on the ice at two as a figure skater and switched to hockey at eight.
He stands 178 cm tall, or 5’10”, and weighs 181 lbs.
