Observations:

February 2016 – Schmidt has been a great injury replacement for the Capitals this year as key injuries to both Brooks Orpik and John Carlson have put him in to a top four, and occasionally top two, role. Since November, he has averaged between 17 and 23 minutes per game and his two-way play has been trusted in all situations. Once the two Capitals defensemen have returned he will likely be put back on the third pairing, blostering the Capitals strong defense core. Still do not expect many points from him along the way as he is not given many offensive chances. Pat Quinn

Nov 2015 – Schmidt has played in seven of the Capitals 12 games, playing in the last four in a row. He has one assist and largely plays third pairing minutes, averaging around 15 minutes, and has 10 shots with a +2 rating. If an injury occurs he is still behind Dmitri Orlov for minutes, so do not expect much opportunity for him to get points, he is just beginning to start his NHL career and looks at least like an NHL player. Pat Quinn

Oct 2015 – Schmidt is one of the starting seven defensemen for the Capitals. Expect him to be on the third pairing with the occasional scratch if he makes a mistake. He will not get many points but he will have good peripherals. Pat Quinn

June 2015 – Schmidt has signed a two-year one-way contract with the Washington Capitals according to Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post. He has all but secured himself one of the remaining two defense spots for the Capitals for 2015-16. Pat Quinn

May 2015 – Schmidt had a great playoffs for the Bears scoring nine points, four of them goals, in eight games to lead Hershey in scoring before they were eliminated. Having yo-yoed the season between the Capitals and the Bears during the season he was sent to play in the AHL playoffs once Orlov was healthy enough to be the #7 defenseman. He will likely be in Washington next season in a 6/7 role with the opportunity to move up if injuries occur to the top four. Pat Quinn

February 2015 – Schmidt was sent down to the Hershey Bears early January as a result of the numbers game on the Capitals. He was then injured in his second game after posting three points in his first game for the Bears. After six weeks he returned to the AHL roster and put up an assist in his first game back. There is no word as to what the Capitals plan to do with him for the remainder of the year, but he may stick with Hershey or shuttle between the AHL and the NHL. Pat Quinn 

November 2014 – Schmidt has been a bottom pairing defenseman for Washington so far this year. He only has two points in 19 games and is a plus six. He has stayed in the top six all year while the Capitals carry a couple of injured players. However, once Orlov is healthy and ready to play he should be sent back down. With all the options Washington has on the blue line do not expect much from Schmidt in terms of offense. Pat Quinn

September 2014 – In July 2014, Schmidt signed a one-year two-way contract with the Capitals after an impressive rookie season split between the AHL and NHL. The former University of Minnesota Golden Gophers’ star registered 13 points in 38 games with Hershey and six points in 29 games with the Caps in 2013-14. When he was with the Caps, he spent over half of his total time-on-ice with Mike Green putting up positive possession numbers. The recent additions to the Capitals blue line will see the talented defenseman stay the year in the AHL but could be one of the first called up if injures strike. He still has 40 games remaining of waiver eligibility so Washington will keep tally of that as they wouldn’t want to risk losing him to waivers. Schmidt owns a big shot, good first pass and smart transition game. He put up strong numbers in the NCAA and USHL so the talent is there to develop into a worthy fantasy option.  Pat Quinn

Fantasy Outlook: C

Expect him to develop into a two-way defender at the NHL level. There is some offense to be had too, how much depends on how he is used.

Footage:

Nate Schmidt GWG versus the Wisconsin Badgers

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