SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers President of Hockey Ops. & General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Nate Schmidt on a one-year contract.
“Nate is a veteran puck-moving defenseman who we expect to seamlessly integrate with our style of play,” said Zito. “We are excited to welcome him to our club in 2024-25.”
Schmidt, 32, skated in 63 games with the Winnipeg Jets in 2023-24, producing 14 points (2-12-14) and a plus-10 rating.
The 6-foot, 192-pound native of St. Cloud, Minn., has competed in 661 career games across 11 NHL seasons between the Washington Capitals (2013-14 to 2016-17), Vegas Golden Knights (2017-18 to 2019-20), Vancouver Canucks (2020-21) and Winnipeg (2021-22 to 2023-24), amassing 220 points (47-173-220) and a plus-102 rating.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Schmidt has compiled 28 points (7-21-28) over 76 career contests, helping Vegas reach the 2018 Stanley Cup Final and 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Schmidt also skated in 65 American Hockey League (AHL) games with Washington’s affiliate, the Hershey Bears, from 2012-13 to 2014-15. He led all AHL blueliners with four goals in the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs.
Undrafted, Schmidt played three seasons (2010-11 to 2012-13) with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA), producing 74 points (12-62-74) in 96 games. He was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team in 2012-13 and WCHA Second All-Star Team in 2011-12, leading Gophers blueliners in points in each of his final two campaigns.
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