Nick Schmaltz

BIOGRAPHY

Nick Schmaltz was born February 23, 1996 in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a center in the National Hockey League.

Schmaltz was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, 20th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Schmaltz made his NHL debut in the first game of the 2016–17 season, a 5–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He scored his first NHL goal three days later, opening scoring in a 5–3 win over the Nashville Predators that was won on Richard Panik's hat-trick. On November 25, 2018, the Blackhawks traded Schmaltz to the Arizona Coyotes. On March 30, 2019, with Schmaltz set to become a restricted free agent that July, the Coyotes signed him to a seven-year, $40.95 million contract extension. By December 12, Schmaltz led the Coyotes with 22 points, including 17 assists and two game-winning goals. 

The 2020–21 NHL season meant a reunion for Schmaltz and his college linemate Drake Caggiula, who signed with the Coyotes that offseason. Beginning at the start of February, Schmaltz played on an offensive line with Garland and Keller. Head coach Rick Tocchet nicknamed the trio the "Short Leash line" for their presumed defensive liabilities despite their offensive production. Within four games of playing together, the line had a combined 15 points, with Schmaltz recording two goals and five points in that span. On March 27, the NHL Department of Player Safety awarded Schmaltz a $5,000 fine for dangerously pushing San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek into the boards the day prior. On May 3, with three regular-season games left to play for the Coyotes, Schmaltz was hit in the head during pregame warmups by a puck that bounced off the crossbar of the goal net. He was assisted off the ice and missed that night's game with an upper-body injury. Unexpectedly playing without him, the Coyotes lost 3–2 to the Los Angeles Kings that night, a loss which mathematically eliminated them from the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Schmaltz finished the season with 10 goals and 32 points. That July, he was one of 11 players that the Coyotes chose to protect from being taken by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

The Coyotes underwent a major roster overhaul prior to the 2021–22 season, with Schmaltz part of a core group of young players that the team wished to build around. The team suffered a number of injuries early in the season, and Schmaltz was sidelined with an upper body injury after only six games. He returned to the lineup on December 11 and scored his first goal of the season two days later against the Philadelphia Flyers. On March 5, 2022, the day after ending the Colorado Avalanche's four-game winning streak with a late goal, Schmaltz became the first player in franchise history to record a seven-point game when he recorded two goals and five assists in an 8–5 comeback win over the Ottawa Senators. He added another four points in the Coyotes' next game, a 9–2 blowout win over the Detroit Red Wings, and became the first player in franchise history to record 11 points in a two-game span. Schmaltz finished the 2021–22 season with a career-high 23 goals, 36 assists, and 59 points.