After trading fan favorites Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan to the Buffalo Sabres this summer, the Utah Mammoth needed a personality boost — and they got it with veteran free-agent signings Brandon Tanev and Nate Schmidt.
Schmidt, a 33-year-old defenseman with more than 700 NHL games under his belt, met with the media Thursday afternoon. His ear-to-ear smile hardly left his face the entire time.
“I love the passion, I love the excitement,” he said, speaking of what he’s seen from the Utah fan base so far. “That’s me to a tee. I love that type of energy that people bring.”
Believe it or not, Schmidt was the one who gave Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien his nickname when they played for the Washington Capitals together at the beginnings of their respective careers. At that point, it was “Big Tuna,” which O’Brien said he thinks came from “The Office.” It has since evolved into “Spicy Tuna.”
As much as he loves to joke around, Schmidt takes his job seriously on the ice. He’s been a staple in Stanley Cup Final runs for two different teams, and this summer he won it for the first time.
“I always feel that the guys that can harness the moment and slow things way down are the guys that are always the most successful,” he said. “That’s something that (I learned) over years of experience — I didn’t have that right away."
“The first time I got to the Stanley Cup Final, I felt like it went way too fast. I got swallowed up in the moment. This last time, I just tried to grind it to a halt and really slow down that pace.”
He slowed it down to the point where he rekindled his offensive touch, scoring three goals in his first two playoff games — as a defenseman on a near-league-minimum contract.
It’s not yet certain where Schmidt will fit into Utah’s lineup. Most of the conversations he’s had with the coaching staff to this point have revolved around systems, but he’s happy to play wherever he’s needed. After the Winnipeg Jets bought him out last summer, he went to the Florida Panthers with that wherever-I’m-needed mentality.
He plans to do the same in Utah.
Although he doesn’t expect to be gifted special teams ice time, Schmidt is a Swiss Army knife in the sense that he can play the power play, the penalty kill and every close situation. He won’t likely be the go-to guy in any of those spots, but he can fill in where needed.
Why did Nate Schmidt sign with Utah?
Having grown up in Minnesota, Schmidt loves the outdoors. He joins the “Utah Fishing Club,” which already included a number of Mammoth and Jazz players.
“I’m a pretty outdoorsy guy,” he said. “I love hunting, I love fishing, I love getting out and doing all that stuff, so that’s completely right up my alley. Not that I didn’t love going to the beach every day, but this is a different stage of life that I love and I’m really excited for.”
The stage of life to which he’s referring is fatherhood. He and his wife are expecting their second child this summer, meaning they’ll also join the Mammoth baby club (which already includes the likes of O’Brien, Lawson Crouse, Alexander Kerfoot and Mikhail Sergachev, among others).
Salt Lake City doesn’t have the same excitement as some of Schmidt’s past NHL home cities (Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Vancouver), but it is hailed as a great place to raise a family, which he said was part of the decision to commit for three years.
On the ice, he’s excited about the group’s development path. He compared the Mammoth to the Panthers of the mid-2010s, who subtly accrued top pick after top pick and made one good trade after the other until they had a back-to-back championship team.
“That’s where I see this team,” he said. “That’s something that excited me, to see that type of trajectory again.”
Highs and lows
Schmidt has gone through more ups and downs than most NHL players, but he’s better in many regards because of that adversity. Here’s a snapshot of his career:
Down: Hardly played in his first year of college hockey
Up: Named an All-American
Down: Never drafted into the NHL
Up: Signed as a free agent by the Washington Capitals
Down: Claimed in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights
Up: Became a fan favorite in Vegas, went to the Stanley Cup Final
Down: Lost in the Stanley Cup Final
Up: Signed a long-term, high-dollar contract with Vegas
Down: Traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a mere third-round pick to clear salary
Down: Things didn’t work out in Vancouver; Traded to the Winnipeg Jets, again for a third-round pick
Down: Bought out by Winnipeg
Up: Signed a prove-it deal with the Florida Panthers
Up: Won the Stanley Cup with Florida
Up: Signed a big contract with Utah
An expansion veteran
Introducing hockey to a new market is not a new concept to Schmidt. He was one of the Vegas Golden Knights’ “Original Misfits,” having been selected in their expansion draft.
Right from the get-go, he was a fan favorite in Vegas — partially because of his happy tendencies, but also because of his willingness to engage with the community.
“I try and take every interaction with kids as seriously as possible because I love that part of the game,” he said. “That’s something that, as a young kid, you come up to a college player, NHL player, those are things you remember — things that I remember."
“There’s a type of responsibility in that as players. It comes with the territory. That’s something that I really cherish the most as a player, when I get to interact with fans.”
He was also involved in numerous community outreach programs as a Golden Knight. He’ll have the chance to do the same as a Mammoth.
“The second year is when you really start to engrain yourself into the community, and that’s something I’m excited for,” he said.
