Nate Schmidt came out of nowhere to inject some dynamism– and a whole bunch of smiles– into a dreary D-corps. And then, like that, he was gone. Was Schmidt in Washington like bringing a bologna sandwich to a banquet? Let’s discuss.
By the Numbers
| 29 | Games played |
| 18.2 | Average time on ice per game |
| 2 | Goals |
| 4 | Assists |
| 50.6% | Shot attempt percentage during 5v5 |
| 56.1% | Goal percentage during 5v5 |
| 9.8% | On-ice shooting percentage during 5v5 |
| 93.1% | On-ice saving percentage during 5v5 |
Peter’s Take
I don’t wanna hide my biases, so I’ll just tell you that I really really like Nate Schmidt. And it’s not just because he’s always got a goofy grin on his face– from the middle of October to the middle of December, Nate Schmidt was probably the best among all the fresh faces on the blue line. He was on the right side of the ice, he didn’t get embarrassed in his own end, and he had a monster slapshot. Not much not to like.
To be fair, Nate did spend half his time playing next to Mike Green (a block of time during which 52 wasn’t quite so troubled in his own end) and Schmidt didn’t do quite so well with possession when separated (48.3 shot attempt percentage / 61.1 goal percentage– whoa really?).
I don’t know what happened after the Caps’ shutout loss to the kittens on December 13, but that was pretty much it for Schmidt in Washington. Adam Oates– shrug. Schmidt made one more appearance in January and then missed time in Hershey due to injury in March.
We know B Mac is interested in boning up his defenders next season, and literally everyone everywhere is all for it, but I for one would like to see Schmidt back in a Caps uniform this fall.
Schmidt on RMNB
- “I had a lot of fun this year.”
- We enjoyed documenting Nate’s face during this Al Koken interview.
- Nate got into a shoving match with his old college teammate.
- File under unlikely: Nate’s first point was on an Aaron Volpatti goal.
- I have no comment about his sister, brother, and parents attending his first NHL game in October. His sister Emily, who seems nice, ditched med school to attend.
In Pictures
This wicked slapper became Nate Schmidt’s first NHL goal. He did not get pied.
Here’s that slapper again, creating a rebound for Volpatti.
“A hundred pounds of dough makes a big biscuit boys!” I love this guy.
Nate and other Bears visited Chocolate World.
Your Turn
How great is Nate? How much of that greatness was driven by Mike Green? With some retooling on the blue line imminent, what do you think the chances are of Nate coming back next year?
Read more: Japers Rink, Peerless
