We kick off Week Two of the countdown with the highest drafted player so far. It feels like Roman Schmidt has been on the verge of turning pro forever, but it will actually happen this season. Can he make the most of this opportunity and cement his status as a top prospect in the organization?
| Name | Roman Schmidt |
| Position | Defenseman |
| Age (as of October 1) | 21 |
| Height/Weight | 6’4″, 216 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2021, 3rd Round, 96th overall |
| Previous Rankings | 16 (2023), 16 (2022) |
| Writer’s Ranking | Not Ranked |
| Reader’s Ranking | 16 |
| Final Rank | 20 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
Roman Schmidt’s hockey career hasn’t been a straight line so far. The son of two world-class figure skaters, Schmidt didn’t pick up hockey until he was about seven years old. Born in Michigan, he first started playing hockey in Ottawa and Toronto, including two seasons with the famed Don Mills Flyers program. Drafted in the 2019 OHL Priority Draft, he switched things up a bit.
He was committed to play at Boston University, and joining the Kitchener Rangers would have washed away his collegiate eligibility. He had the option of playing in the US National Team Development Program and he took, spending his first two junior seasons in the program. Then, prior to the 2021-22 season, he choose to join Kitchener instead of heading to university. Playing time was a big factor in his decision, and he was a top-four defenseman for the Rangers following his draft by the Lightning in 2021.
The Lightning didn’t waste time in signing him, as they sent him an entry-level contract in December of 2021 that the big defenseman signed (apparently over his phone). He returned to Kitchener for his overage seasons and had some productive seasons. Chances are he could have turned pro last season, but an injury in the Lightning’s rookie showcase derailed his season a bit. Following one game in Syracuse (where he picked up an assist) he returned to Kitchener.
After a slow start in Kitchener (4 assists in 14 games), he was traded to the Kingston Frontenacs and his production soared. Back in a top-four role, the 21-year-old put up 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists) in 33 games and was named the team’s top defenseman. A six-game suspension interrupted his season a bit, but he finished strong down the stretch and recorded 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in the Frontenacs first-round loss.
That brings us to this season. Schmidt is officially a professional hockey player (who has burned one year of his ELC already) and has to show that he is ready for the next step in his game. Perhaps more than anyone else in the system he has benefitted from some of the moves the Lightning have made on defense over the last year. Sending Jack Thompson to San Jose in the Anthony Duclair, not signing Eamon Powell to an ELC, and letting Philippe Myers go in free agency has opened up some spots on the right side of the defense for the organization.
For a big man, Schmidt is not a bad skater. He is not particularly fast, but can get up and down the ice at a decent pace. His edgework is also pretty good (he can thank his parents for that) so he’s not often caught flat-footed in his own zone. Not only is he a big body, but unlike some other larger players in the Lightning organization, he plays with a bit of an edge. The suspension mentioned above was the result of him going over the line a bit (punching a player on the ice drew four of the games, having more than three fights in a season drew the other two) but the initial hit shows how he is willing to take smaller players out along the boards.
It’s kind of funny that he said that he patterns his game after Victor Hedman, when, at least at this point in his career, he probably resembles a slightly more offensive Erik Cernak. The question, and it was raised in last year’s profile by Hardev, regards the direction Schmidt will take as a pro. Will he continue to evolve into a physical, shut-down defender? Will he improve his skating to be more of an offensive player like Hedman? Or, will he toe the line and develop into a player who can do both at the top level of the game.
We should start to see signs of what player he will become in Syracuse this season. He will likely battle Max Crozier for time on the second pairing behind the veteran Steve Santini. By all accounts, Schmidt was very noticeable in the 3-on-3 portion of the development camp earlier this summer. If he can build on that in the upcoming rookie showcase, that will go a long way to earning a lot of playing time with the Crunch this season.
Depending on who makes the Crunch’s final roster, Schmidt could see some time on the power play unit. He has the skills to be effective, at least at the AHL level, with a big, booming one-timer and a deceptively good wrist shot for a bigger player. He also moves the puck around pretty well in the offensive zone.
The good news is that Schmidt doesn’t have to be a big scorer to make it to the NHL. He has the size and physicality to make it to the top as a third-pairing, defensive defenseman. If he can transition his offense to the next level, that would be a bonus.
Not to spoil too much, but there aren’t many defenseman ahead of Schmidt in this countdown. With the right side of their offense in a state of flux following this season (Nick Perbix will be a free agent, and Darren Raddysh will have one year left on his current deal) there is opportunity for the 6’6″ blueliner to move up in the system quickly.
The injury slowed his development a bit, at least in the eyes of the writing staff (for the record I had him 17th). A solid season with the Crunch will likely send him skyrocketing back up the rankings.
Highlight Videos
The big fella has a big shot when he gets into it. There is a big wind-up, and he might need to speed it up a bit in the pros, but when he leans into it, there are few in the system that shoot it harder.
Not every shot has to break the sound barrier. Here he shoveled it to the front of the net and let his forwards clean up the mess. The big part of this play was that he was able to get past the forward that came out to block the shot.
Here is a more traditional one-timer from Schmidt. He is ready for the puck and made sure to get the puck on net.
This play looked a lot easier than it was. Schmidt knew what he was going to do before he received the puck and then moved it across the ice to his open partner with a lot of pace. That allowed his teammate to step and get a good shot off before the defense was able to adjust. The fact that it was right on the tape allowed this play to be successful.
The highlights that open this interview showed what Schmdit’s one-timer can do to goalies, especially on the power play. It gets on them quickly, and if it’s not in the net, then it’s generating a rebound. There aren’t too many goaltenders that are swallowing up his shots.
Following the regular season, Schmidt sat down and talked about his career up until that point. There is some nice information about his career path and his goals for the upcoming season.
