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Akira Schmid

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Akira Schmid
Schmid with the New Jersey Devils in 2023
Born (2000-05-12) 12 May 2000 (age 24)
Bern, Switzerland
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Vegas Golden Knights
Henderson Silver Knights (AHL)
SCL Tigers
New Jersey Devils
National team   Switzerland
NHL draft 136th overall, 2018
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2018–present

Akira Schmid (born 12 May 2000) is a Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round, 136th overall, in the 2018 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

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Schmid played most of his youth and junior ice hockey in the SCL Tigers system, appearing in just one game at the National League level, a relegation match in 2018.[1] He was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL entry draft at the end of the 2017–18 season, during which he was loaned multiple times from his junior team to professional teams within Switzerland. He moved to North America to start the 2018–19 season, playing three seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Omaha Lancers and Sioux City Musketeers.

On 17 May 2021, Schmid signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils.[2] Schmid made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut on 11 December 2021, in a 4–2 loss to the New York Islanders.[3] By making his debut with the Devils, Schmid made history in becoming the first goaltender to debut in the NHL directly from the USHL.[4]

In the 2022–23 season, on 10 November 2022, Schmid collected his first career NHL win with the Devils in a 4–3 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators.[5] On 25 February 2023, Schmid recorded his first NHL shutout with the Devils in a 7–0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.[6] In first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Schmid started game three after starter Vítek Vaněček gave up nine goals in the first two games of the series.[7] He went on to get the win in that game,[7] and shutout the Rangers in games five and seven to secure the series victory for the Devils.[8][9]

On 29 June 2024, during the 2024 NHL entry draft, Schmid and Alexander Holtz were traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in 2025.[10] As a restricted free agent, Schmid did not receive a qualifying offer from Vegas, and thus became an unrestricted free agent two days later; however, he ultimately signed a two-year contract with Vegas on 3 July.[11] Since he was the third-string goaltender for Vegas behind Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov, Schmid was reassigned to the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights on 2 October.[12]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Switzerland
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2024 Czech Republic

Schmid represented Switzerland at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a silver medal.[13] In his first start of the event, a preliminary round match against Great Britain, he recorded a 15-save shutout.[14]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Bold indicates led league.

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2016–17 SCL Tigers Elite Jr. A 2 1 1 0 121 8 0 3.97
2017–18 SCL Tigers Elite Jr. A 32 18 9 3 1,867 81 2 2.60 4 2 2 238 12 0 3.02
2017–18 EHC Thun MSL 4 3 1 0 244 9 0 2.21
2018–19 Lethbridge Hurricanes WHL 1 0 1 0 57 7 0 7.43 .741
2018–19 Corpus Christi IceRays NAHL 2 2 0 0 120 3 0 1.50 .948
2018–19 Omaha Lancers USHL 37 16 14 2 2,012 73 2 2.18 .926
2019–20 Omaha Lancers USHL 6 2 2 1 359 18 0 3.01 .891
2019–20 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 7 3 4 0 405 23 1 3.41 .888
2020–21 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 36 22 13 1 2,147 72 3 2.01 .921 4 2 2 237 9 1 2.28 .920
2021–22 Utica Comets AHL 38 22 8 5 2,167 94 2 2.60 .911 1 0 1 62 4 0 3.89 .895
2021–22 New Jersey Devils NHL 6 0 4 0 236 19 0 4.83 .833
2022–23 Utica Comets AHL 23 11 7 4 1,349 59 2 2.62 .905
2022–23 New Jersey Devils NHL 18 9 5 2 902 32 1 2.13 .922 9 4 4 460 18 2 2.35 .921
2023–24 Utica Comets AHL 23 9 8 5 1,353 69 1 3.06 .894
2023–24 New Jersey Devils NHL 19 5 9 1 915 48 0 3.15 .895
NHL totals 43 14 18 3 2,052 99 1 2.90 .899 9 4 4 460 18 2 2.35 .921

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2017 Switzerland U18 8th 3 0 3 0 153 9 0 3.52 .902
2017 Switzerland IH18 7th 3 1 2 0 153 5 0 1.96 .930
2018 Switzerland U18 9th 2 0 2 0 120 13 0 6.50 .865
2019 Switzerland WJC 4th 3 0 2 0 170 12 0 4.23 .878
2024 Switzerland WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 3 0 0 139 2 1 0.86 .946
Junior totals 11 1 9 0 596 39 0 3.92 .892
Senior totals 3 3 0 0 139 2 1 0.86 .946

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
USHL
Third All-Star Team 2019
First All-Star Team 2021 [15]
Goaltender of the Year 2021 [15]

References

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  1. ^ Silverman, Cat (20 June 2018). "Behind the Save: Scouting the top 10 goalie prospects for the 2018 NHL draft". The Athletic. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  2. ^ "RELEASE: Devils Sign G Akira Schmid to 3-Year Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Parise, Greene lead Islanders to first win at new arena". ESPN. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  4. ^ "USHL goaltender makes league's first-ever jump directly to NHL". therinklive.com. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  5. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (10 November 2022). "Hischier scores in OT, Devils defeat Senators for eighth straight win". NHL.com. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Mercer extends goal streak to 6 games, Devils roll Flyers". ESPN. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Hamilton scores in OT, Devils beat Rangers 2-1 in Game 3". ESPN. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  8. ^ Canavan, Tom (27 April 2023). "Goaltender Schmid has Devils back in series with Rangers". AP News. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Devils blank Rangers in Game 7, face Canes in second round". ESPN. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Golden Knights acquire Alexander Holtz, Akira Schmid from Devils for Paul Cotter, pick". Sportsnet.ca. 29 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Golden Knights Sign Akira Schmid To Two-Year Deal". The Hockey News. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Golden Knights' Akira Schmid: Sent to minors". CBS Sports. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Silver it is - Czechia beats Switzerland in the World Championship final". swisshockeynews.ch. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  14. ^ Gaudio, Julian (15 May 2024). "Devils' Hischier And Palat Score Again; Schmid Records Shutout In First Start Of The World Championship". The Hockey News. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b "USHL names Muskies' Schmid Goaltender of the Year". siouxlandproud.com. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
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