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Fantasy Summary

Smart defender with good first passes. Decent two way game, but not much that pops out on either side of the ice.


Observations

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July 2025 – Schmidt is focusing all his efforts on becoming a third-pairing, defense-minded defenseman. He led the Syracuse Crunch in PIM and has shown he is not afraid to step up for his teammates. He is a big, right-shot defenseman who plays good defense, plays physically, and steps up for his teammates; he is often in demand in the NHL. Schmidt will have virtually no value for most fantasy leagues but might hold some value in banger leagues. Expect another season with the Crunch before he gets a real shot at breaking into the NHL. – Markus R  

August 2024 – Schmidt will have significantly more value to his team than any fantasy roster. As a defense-minded defenseman, Schmidt’s offensive game is unlikely to yield many points, but he does have a heavy shot. With only decent skating in junior, it is hard to know how well he can adjust to the professional game. He will spend this year with the Syracuse Crunch. If he does make it, Schmidt’s path to the NHL looks instead set as a third-pairing shutdown defenseman. Realistically, Schmidt is looking at two or more seasons in the AHL before he is in contention for an NHL roster spot. Markus R

June 2022- Schmidt is one of many right-handed defense prospects in the Tampa system. Even though he has good first passes, I question how his offense is translatable to the NHL. With no elite offensive tools, it’s tough to picture the 6-foot-6 defender on an elite NHL powerplay. He doesn’t have elite puck skills or speed, and he doesn’t play very physical, and you would like to see him play a little bit more in one of these two ways. Schmidt played this entire past year on the left side, while being right-handed, earning 33 points in 68 games with the Kitchener Rangers. It will be interesting to see if he takes a major step forward in his development this year. Caleb Kerney

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 2.5
NHL Certainty 6.0
Country USA
Position D
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth February 27, 2003
Height 6‘6”
Weight 209 lbs
Drafted 2021 Round 3; Overall: 96
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025AHLSyracuse Crunch49325797
2023-2024OHLKingston Frontenacs338202840-8
2023-2024OHLKitchener Rangers14044224
2023-2024AHLSyracuse Crunch101102
2022-2023OHLKitchener Rangers6442428746
2021-2022OHLKitchener Rangers6811223341-9
2020-2021WJC-18USA U18500020
2020-2021USHLUSNTDP Juniors22257319
2020-2021NTDPU.S. National U17 Team301160
2020-2021NTDPU.S. National U18 Team45311144911
2019-2020WHC-17USA U17611200
2019-2020USHLUSNTDP Juniors29471112-2
2019-2020NTDPU.S. National U17 Team4871017220
2018-2019USA-S15Team Forest403300
2018-2019U16 AAADon Mills Flyers U16 AAA73185371540
2018-2019GTHL U16Don Mills Flyers U16 AAA34121830180
2018-2019CWGTeam Ontario510160
2017-2018WSI U15Oshawa Generals Selects U156224100
2017-2018GTHL U16Mississauga Rebels U16 AAA334610240
2016-2017HEO U15Ottawa Jr. 67s U15 AAA200000
2016-2017HEO U14Ottawa Jr. 67s U14 AAA286915260
2015-2016HEO U14Ottawa Jr. 67s U14 AAA401120

Highlights