About that time to consider college free agents. So without further ado, introducing Nate Schmidt:
21 year old Junior at Minnesota. Elite prospects lists him at 6'0 194lbs.
NCAA stats:
2010/11 13GP 0G 1A 1P +-0
2011/12 43GP 3G 38A 41P +24
2012/13 26GP 6G 19A 25P +13
Article about him from last season:
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/02/22/...blockID=671662
Quote:
Few defenseman have contributed to their team's scoring like Schmidt has this season. Among defenseman, only Wisconsin's Justin Schultz has as many assists as Schmidt. Schmidt has gone three straight games without a point just once this season.
Keeping other teams off the board has been the focal point for Schmidt and his defensive partner, sophomore Jake Parenteau, and the result is his sterling plus-minus rating.
"One of the biggest things is going out there and knowing you have the confidence that you can do the things that need to get done in the game," Schmidt said. "Between (Parenteau) and I, we have the same goals; never get scored on and just be really tough to play against. That's the biggest thing for me is I have the confidence to go out there and make plays and have a defense partner such as Jake that we trust each other and go out there to do whatever is necessary to make good plays or keep them from scoring."
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I think many NHL teams may have been hesitant to pursue him last season in case he had a fluke season, but he seems to be recreating that same success this season.