Nick Schmaltz

Nicholas Schmaltz (born February 23, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schmaltz played collegiate hockey with the University of North Dakota team in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Schmaltz was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (20th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Schmaltz was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but grew up in Verona, Wisconsin.

College

Schmaltz was ranked 19th by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and he was projected to be a first-round selection. He played junior hockey with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 2012 to 2014, where in his first season he was named to the 2012–13 USHL All- Rookie Team.

Schmaltz played with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, and won the 2016 NCAA National Hockey Championship as a sophomore. He ended his collegiate career and turned professional after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on June 19, 2016.

Professional

Chicago Blackhawks

On October 12, 2016, Schmaltz made his NHL debut in the season opener against the St. Louis Blues. He scored his first NHL goal on October 15 against Marek Mazanec of the Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks reassigned Schmaltz to AHL on December 4 after he only recorded one goal and three assist in 26 NHL games. While with the Rockford IceHogs, he tallied six goals and three assists. The Blackhawks recalled Schmaltz on January 14, 2017. His scoring improved, scoring five goals and 19 assists in 35 more games that season.

Arizona Coyotes

In the 2018–19 season, on November 25, 2018, Schmaltz was traded by the Blackhawks to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome. In January 2019, Schmaltz was sidelined for the remainder of the season with what the Coyotes described as a major lower-body injury. It was later confirmed that Schmaltz had suffered a major knee injury.

On March 30, 2019, the Coyotes announced they had reached an agreement with Schmaltz on a seven-year, $40.95 million contract extension.

On March 5, 2022, Schmaltz recorded two goals and five assists in a 8–5 win against the Ottawa Senators. This made him the first player in a decade to score seven or more points in a single game. The last player to complete the feat was Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers, who scored eight points on February 2, 2012.

Playing with the United States men's national under-18 ice hockey team at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, Schmaltz was named the tournament's most valuable player as led Team USA to capture the gold medal.

Schmaltz is the son of Mike and Lisa Schmaltz. He is the younger brother of Jordan Schmaltz, a first-round draft choice in 2012 by the St. Louis Blues who is currently in the Tucson Roadrunners organization. He also has a younger sister, Kylie, who plays volleyball for the University of Kentucky and a younger cousin, Jake, who plays for Team Wisconsin u16.

Schmaltz's father and uncles, Marc and Monte, played football while attending the University of North Dakota.

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	United States	IH18			5	5	3	8	2
2015	United States	WJC	5th		5	0	1	1	0
2016	United States	WJC			7	2	6	8	4
2017	United States	WC	5th		7	0	3	3	2
Junior totals					17	7	10	17	6
Senior totals					7	0	3	3	2