To say it’s been an odd season for Roman Schmidt would be an understatement. Over the summer it looked like the big defenseman would have the chance to start the year in Syracuse as a 20-year-old. An injury in the rookie showcase delayed things a bit, but he managed one game with the Syracuse Crunch before being sent back to the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL.
He didn’t last long with the Rangers as they traded him after 14 games and 4 assists. Schmidt found his groove with his new team, the Kingston Frontenacs, recording 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists) in 33 games despite being suspended for six games. His season ended when the Frontenacs lost in five games to the North Bay Battalion in the opening round of the OHL playoffs. The Michigan native had 1 goal and 3 assists in the series.
With the series over, the 6’5, 216-pound blueliner has ended his junior career and will be joining the Syracuse Crunch.
Schmidt signed his entry-level contract back in December of 2021, but since he played junior hockey it has continued to slide.
The Crunch have five regular season games left in the season and could use some assistance on the blue line. There is the possibility that Schmidt will just practice with them and start to learn the basics of professional life, or he could see some action. During the 2017-18 season, Cal Foote joined the Crunch for six regular season games and did well enough to play in all seven of their playoff games.
If he does join the team, he’ll bring a physical element to the team and can use his size to shut down plays in his own zone. His skating is okay at the junior level, but we’ll have to see if he can contend with the forwards in the AHL. Offensively, he has a pretty heavy shot and better puck-handling skills than you might expect out of a big player, but he’s not likely to be running a power play soon.
