SALT LAKE CITY – With the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural season right around the corner, it’s time for fans to begin familiarizing themselves with the roster to better understand who will be putting on the Utah sweater and what to expect from Nick Schmaltz when the puck officially drops in Salt Lake City in October.
Moving on to one of the club’s offensive leaders, forward Nick Schmaltz is the next player profile to help fans get to know the Utah Hockey Club roster.
Schmaltz is a 28-year-old forward from Madison, WI. During his youth, he played junior ice hockey alongside his brother for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. After two seasons with the Gamblers, Schmaltz was selected in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
However, before joining the Blackhawks, Schmaltz would play two seasons of college hockey with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. During his second season with the program, Schmaltz won the 2016 NCAA Division I tournament, scoring the game-winning goal in the semifinal and registering an assist in the final.
Eventually making his professional debut, Schmaltz spent most of his rookie season with the Rockford IceHogs, Chicago’s AHL affiliate, before joining his NHL squad in 2017.
Despite an impressive first year with Chicago, the young forward would experience a dip in production in his second season with the Blackhawks and was eventually traded to Arizona in 2018.
Upon joining his new team, Schmaltz would miss the 2018-19 season due to injury. But during the following year, Schmaltz led the Coyotes with 45 points and cemented himself as a key building block for the franchise moving forward.
After signing his big contract extension of $40M over seven years, there have been a lot of ups and downs for the organization, mostly filled with downs. But one thing is for sure, the Clayton Keller and Schmaltz duo is the most dangerous on the team and should continue to lead the franchise in terms of offensive production.
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Last season, the two combined for 55 goals and 82 assists, which had them as the one and two in terms of offensive production. With an undeniable chemistry, the two are often creating for each other whether its direct assists or simply opening up space for the other to score.
RELATED: Get To Know The Utah Hockey Club: Who is Clayton Keller
Moving into this new era of Utah hockey, Schmaltz should continue to be a household name for the franchise as he consistently lights the lamp on the team’s top forward line.
Here is where fans can follow Schmaltz on his X account.
Fans can watch the Utah Hockey Club’s home opener on October 8 against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Click here for the full schedule.
