Giants Name Ryan Lin Captain

Published on January 9, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release

Vancouver Giants' Ryan Lin
(Vancouver Giants)

"It seemed like a really seamless transition for Ryan to take over captaincy duties," Giants Head Coach Parker Burgess said. "He has the respect of everybody in the locker room: players and stuff. He goes about his business the right way every single day. He's competitive. He's a great teammate. Passionate about not only his development, but the organization and winning."

Lin is the 24th captain in franchise history.

"It feels surreal to be named the next captain of the Vancouver Giants - this is the team I grew up watching and cheering on as a kid," Lin said. "I'd like to thank Giants ownership, management and all the coaches for this incredible honour, as well as Ty Halaburda who I learned a lot from. I'm looking forward to the challenge and ready to give everything I have."

Lin is in his second year with the Giants and was a WHL Rookie of the Year finalist last season, when he recorded 53 points (5G-48A) in 60 games. Those 53 points rank seventh among U-17 defencemen in the entire CHL since 1990.

The draft-eligible right-shot blueliner currently sits third amongst all WHL defencemen in scoring this season with 47 points (9G-38A) in 39 games. Lin recently recorded his 100th career point, doing so in exactly 100 career games, making him the quickest U18 WHL defenceman to reach the century mark since Scott Niedermayer in 1991.

Lin is the youngest Giants captain since Tyler Benson was given the 'C' in 2015-16.

The Giants next home game is on Saturday, January 10 against Wenatchee! Grab your seats at VancouverGiants.com/tickets.

Vancouver Giants' Ryan Lin

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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