Giants defenceman Ryan Lin has joined a very small club, WHL defenceman aged 16 or younger who hit the 50-point mark.

It happened for Lin when he made a secondary assist on Mazden Leslie's empty-net goal on Sunday, March 9, in a 3-1 win over Prince George.

Lin has five goals and 45 assists for 50 points in 57 games.

Everett's Landon Dupont 15, has also hit the mark this season, with 57 points in 59 games.

It doesn't happen often. Hockey Hall of Famer and Kamloops Blazers legend Scott Niedermayer reached the milestone in 1989-90, when he erupted for 69 points (14G-55A) in his rookie season with the Blazers 35 years ago. 

鈥淐ongratulations to Ryan on achieving an incredible 50 points as a 16-year-old defenceman. He has quietly just gone about his business putting the work in every day,鈥� Giants General Manager Barclay Parneta said. 鈥淩yan has shown a quiet resolve that is a true testament to the person he is. I know he was completely unaware of the milestone as he approached it and has always shown a team first mentality.鈥�

As well, Lin鈥檚 45 assists are the most of any rookie. He also ranks second in scoring among all first-year Canadian Hockey League defencemen, trailing only Dupont.

The Richmond native was named the WHL's Rookie of the Week on January 20.

Lin was selected by the Giants with the sixth-overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft.