Nick Schmaltz

Nick Schmaltz (born February 23, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, and raised in Verona, Schmaltz grew up playing hockey in his basement with his brother Jordan and sister Kylie.

He followed his brother into playing junior ice hockey for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.

Schmaltz was born on February 23, 1996, in Madison, Wisconsin.

His father Mike owns a series of fitness centers, while his mother Lisa is a radiologist for the UW Health University Hospital.

Their family home in Verona, Wisconsin, had a makeshift roller hockey rink in the basement, with Nick's older brother Jordan and younger sister Kylie teaming up to play against him.

He played four seasons of organized hockey, meanwhile, with the Chicago Mission of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, where he grew close with teammate and future National Hockey League (NHL) player Christian Dvorak.

Schmaltz centered an offensive line with Dvorak on his left wing and William Nylander on his right.

Schmaltz followed his older brother into playing for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

He added an assist in North Dakota's 5–1 victory over Quinnipiac, which gave the Fighting Hawks their first NCAA championship title since 2000.

After his sophomore season, Schmaltz elected to leave North Dakota and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

He joined the team as an affiliate player for the final 11 games of the 2011–12 regular season, contributing one postseason goal and three assists as the Gamblers took the 2012 Clark Cup.

During the 2012–13 season, Schmaltz recorded 18 goals and 52 points in 64 games, including five game-winning goals and a hat-trick on December 31, 2012.

He was the youngest member of the USHL All-Rookie Team at the end of that season.

The following season, Schmaltz posted 18 goals and 63 points in 55 games, and the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked him No. 19 among all draft-eligible North American skaters.

At the end of the 2013–14 USHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Schmaltz in the first round, 20th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

After two full seasons in Green Bay, Schmaltz was selected in the first round, 20th overall, by the Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

He went on to play two seasons of college ice hockey with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Beginning in the 2014–15 season, Schmaltz followed his older brother into playing college ice hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

He began his freshman season on a hot streak, named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Month for October after leading all freshmen with six points in as many games.

The Fighting Hawks were the NCHC regular-season champions for the 2014–15 season, and Schmaltz, who had four goals and 11 assists in 20 conference games, was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team.

On February 23, 2015, Schmaltz was named the NCHC Rookie of the Week for assisting on two goals of the Fighting Hawks' 3–0 shutout win over Western Michigan.

Schmaltz recorded five goals, 21 assists, and a +4 plus-minus rating in 35 games.

North Dakota played in the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, where they were eliminated in the Frozen Four by Jack Eichel and Boston University.

Schmaltz had no points in the tournament.

Returning to North Dakota for the 2015–16 season, Schmaltz centered a line with Drake Caggiula and Brock Boeser, a trio referred to as the "CBS line".

He was named the NCHC Player of the Month for November after recording two goals and 13 assists in eight games, including five multi-point outings.

With five goals and 19 assists in 19 conference games, Schmaltz was an All-NCHC honorable mention at the end of the season.

Altogether, he had 11 goals and 46 points in 37 games, third on the team behind his linemates Caggiula and Boeser.

During his second season, North Dakota won the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.

Schmaltz had scored the game-winning goal in the tournament semifinals with only 60 seconds left to play and added an assist in their championship victory.

Schmaltz left North Dakota after winning a championship title to begin his professional hockey career.

He spent most of his rookie season with the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' American Hockey League affiliate, before having a breakout season playing with Ryan Hartman and Patrick Kane.

The Fighting Hawks tied with Denver for third place in the 2016 NCHC Tournament, while Schmaltz, who scored two of the team's three goals in the Frozen Faceoff, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

North Dakota once again played in the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Denver in the Frozen Four semifinals.

Deadlocked at 2–2 with 60 seconds remaining in regulation, Schmaltz scored the game-winning goal, with North Dakota winning the game 4–2 shortly after on an empty net goal from Rhett Gardner.

Schmaltz could not continue his offensive output the following season, and he was traded to the Coyotes in November 2018.

He missed most of the season with a knee injury but returned the following year to lead the team with 45 points.

During the Coyotes' roster overhaul, Schmaltz was part of the core group of players they chose to build around, and that March he set a franchise record with seven points in one game.