#88
#88 Nate Schmidt
- Position Defenseman
- Height 6’0”
- Weight 197
- Shoots Left
- Born July 16, 1991 (35)
- Birthplace St. Cloud, Minnesota
- Acquired Signed as a free agent, July 1, 2025
- Drafted Undrafted
CAREER STATISTICS
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2025-26
- Played all 82 games for the first time in his 13-year career and eclipsed the 20-point mark (5-17–22) for the first time since 2021-22
- Matched his single-game career high with four points (2g, 2a) at SEA (1/17), becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to register four-point game
- Skated in his 800th career NHL game vs. MIN (2/27), becoming just the sixth active undrafted player to reach the milestone
- Added one assist in six games during the Western Conference First Round vs. VGK
2024-25
- Skated in a career-high 80 games during his first season with Florida, posting 19 points (5g, 14a) and a career-high 82 hits
- Dropped the gloves with Mason Marchment vs. DAL (11/2) and Max Domi at TOR (3/13), marking his first fighting majors since 2015-16
- Registered 12 points (3g, 9a) in 23 playoff games to help the Panthers capture their second straight Stanley Cup
- Finished tied for third in assists and fourth in points among all NHL defensemen during the postseason
- Opened the Eastern Conference First Round vs. TBL with three goals in two games and became the first defenseman in Panthers history to score back-to-back game-winning goals in the postseason
2023-24
- Played 63 games during his third and final season with Winnipeg, earning 14 points (2g, 12a)
- Ranked third in power-play assists (3) and power-play points (4) among Jets defensemen
2022-23
- Scored seven goals in 71 games for Winnipeg, with a team- and career-high three on the man-advantage
- Posted a season-long, four-game point streak from 3/6-3/12 (2g, 2a), tied for the longest of his NHL career
2021-22
- Registered 32 points (4g, 28a) in 77 games during his first season with Winnipeg, reaching the 30-point mark for the fourth time
- Matched his career highs in power-play assists (10) and power-play points (11)
- Posted his first six Jets points over a three-game span from 10/19-10/23 (6a), with a season-high three assists vs. NSH (10/23)
2020-21
- Ranked second in goals (5), tied for first in even-strength goals (5) and third in takeaways (18) among Canucks defensemen in his lone season with Vancouver
- Tallied a season-high two points (1g, 1a) and scored the game-winning goal at WPG (3/1)
2019-20
- Tallied 31 points (7g, 24a) in 59 games with Vegas, reaching the 30-point mark for the third straight season
- Missed 12 games after suffering a lower-body injury in the season opener vs. SJS (10/2)
- Set single-game career highs in assists and points with four helpers vs. CGY (11/17)
- Recorded nine points (2g, 7a) in 20 playoff games in the bubble as the Golden Knights fell to the Stars in the Western Conference Final
2018-19
- Scored a career-high nine goals over 61 games during his second campaign with the Golden Knights
- Led Vegas in plus/minus (+22), matching his career-best rating
- Tallied three points (2g, 1a) against his former team in his first career NHL multi-goal performance vs. WSH (12/4), netting the game-winning goal with 1:25 left in regulation and sealing the victory with an empty-net tally
2017-18
- Set career highs in assists (31), points (36), power-play assists (10), power-play points (11), ice time per game (22:14), blocked shots (121) and takeaways (57) during his first season with Vegas
- Scored an extra-attacker goal to force overtime and tallied an assist on the overtime winner at ARI (10/7)
- Posted a season-long, four-game point streak from 2/2-2/8 (1g, 3a), tied for the longest such run of his NHL career
- Appeared in all 20 playoff games and recorded seven points (3g, 4a) to help the Golden Knights advance to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season
2016-17
- Ranked fourth in points (17) and tied for second in takeaways (36) among Capitals blueliners
- Scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at PIT (5/3)
2015-16
- Played his first full NHL season with the Capitals, posting 16 points (2g, 14a) in 72 games
- Scored his first career game-winning goal vs. COL (11/21) and posted his first multi-point game (2a) vs. MTL (12/26)
- Was assessed the first fighting major of his NHL career at TBL (12/12), dropping the gloves with J.T. Brown
- Found the scoresheet in four straight contests for the first time in his career from 1/5-1/10 (1g, 4a)
2014-15
- Posted four points (1g, 3a) in 39 contests with Washington during his second NHL season
- Earned nine points (3g, 6a) in 19 AHL games with Hershey and matched that point total (4g, 5a) in eight postseason appearances
- Scored a goal in his Calder Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Worcester (4/24)
2013-14
- Skated in 29 NHL games with Washington as a rookie, earning six points (2g, 4a)
- Made his NHL debut vs. COL (10/12) and tallied an assist at CGY (10/26) for his first point
- Scored his first two NHL goals on consecutive days as the Capitals swept a back-to-back vs. NSH (12/7) and at NYR (12/8)
2012-13
- Led all WCHA defensemen with 31 points (8g, 23a) in 40 games a junior at Minnesota
- Received All-WCHA First Team, All-WCHA Academic Team and NCAA West Second All-American honors
- Set collegiate single-game highs in assists and points with four helpers in a 7-1 win vs. Alaska-Anchorage (1/12)
- Signed with Washington after his collegiate season ended and earned four points (1g, 3a) in eight AHL games with Hershey
- Tallied an assist in his professional debut vs. Syracuse (4/6)
2011-12
- Set collegiate highs in goals (3), assists (38) and points (41) over 43 games with Minnesota
- Ranked third among Division I defensemen in assists, earning selection to the All-WCHA Second Team
- Led the Gophers in assists, power-play points (28), blocked shots (52) and plus/minus (+24)
- Earned three points (1g, 2a), including his first collegiate goal, vs. Vermont (10/23)
- Tallied three assists in a sweep at Nebraska-Omaha (2/24-2/25), earning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors
2010-11
- Skated in 13 collegiate games as a freshman at Minnesota
- Tallied an assist vs. Ferris State (1/1) for his first collegiate point, while playing as the Gophers’ third-line left wing
2009-10
- Led Fargo defensemen with 37 points (14g, 23a) over 57 games in his lone USHL season
- Selected to play in the USHL All-Star Game and named to the league’s All-Rookie Team
- Tallied six assists in 13 playoff games as Fargo fell to Green Bay in the Clark Cup Final
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Served as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, recording six points (2g, 4a) in 10 games
TRANSACTIONS
- Apr 2, 2013 – Signed with Washington to a two-year, entry-level contract
- Jul 13, 2014 – Re-signed with Washington to a one-year contract
- Jun 17, 2015 – Re-signed with Washington to a two-year contract
- Jun 21, 2017 – Selected by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft
- Aug 5, 2017 – Re-signed with Vegas to a two-year contract
- Oct 24, 2018 – Re-signed with Vegas to a six-year contract
- Oct 12, 2020 – Acquired by Vancouver from Vegas in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Elias Nils Pettersson)
- Jul 27, 2021 – Acquired by Winnipeg from Vancouver in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (Jordan Gustafson)
- Jul 2, 2024 – Signed with Florida to a one-year contract
- Jul 1, 2025 – Signed with Utah to a three-year contract
PERSONAL
Nate grew up in Minnesota playing football, basketball and hockey, and his favorite NHL player was Nicklas Lidstrom… His biggest hobbies mostly involve the outdoors, whether he is playing sports, spending time on the lake or hunting and fishing… Nate’s favorite movie is Cool Runnings, and his favorite band is blink-182… He says he would be an actor if he were not playing hockey, and he would want Seann William Scott to play him in a movie… Nate’s most memorable hockey moment was winning the 2025 Stanley Cup with the Panthers.
CAREER vs. NHL
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | 26 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| Boston Bruins | 22 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 20 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 25 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 27 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Calgary Flames | 36 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 26 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 4 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 25 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Dallas Stars | 28 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 17 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 37 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Florida Panthers | 24 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 26 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Minnesota Wild | 26 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 35 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 |
| New Jersey Devils | 25 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Nashville Predators | 26 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| New York Islanders | 30 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| New York Rangers | 29 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| Ottawa Senators | 27 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 22 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 27 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 24 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Seattle Kraken | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| San Jose Sharks | 29 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| St. Louis Blues | 28 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 25 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 30 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 13 |
| Utah Mammoth | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 28 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 6 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 28 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Washington Capitals | 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Totals | 823 | 57 | 204 | 261 | 174 |
