Schmidt was moved from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Minnesota Wild as part of the deal that brought Boris Katchouk to Philadelphia, and the trade does little to change his fantasy outlook. He continues to profile as a defense-first, bottom pair defenseman with minimal fantasy relevance outside of banger leagues, as his game remains built around physicality, defensive structure, and protecting teammates rather than generating offense. Expect Schmidt to spend more time in the AHL working toward a depth NHL opportunity, and do not expect fantasy value beyond the deepest banger formats.

Schmidt is focusing all his efforts on becoming a third-pairing, defense-minded defenseman. He led the Syracuse Crunch in PIM and has shown he is not afraid to step up for his teammates. He is a big, right-shot defenseman who plays good defense, plays physically, and steps up for his teammates; he is often in demand in the NHL. Schmidt will have virtually no value for most fantasy leagues but might hold some value in banger leagues. Expect another season with the Crunch before he gets a real shot at breaking into the NHL.

Schmidt will have significantly more value to his team than any fantasy roster. As a defense-minded defenseman, Schmidt’s offensive game is unlikely to yield many points, but he does have a heavy shot. With only decent skating in junior, it is hard to know how well he can adjust to the professional game. He will spend this year with the Syracuse Crunch. If he does make it, Schmidt’s path to the NHL looks instead set as a third-pairing shutdown defenseman. Realistically, Schmidt is looking at two or more seasons in the AHL before he is in contention for an NHL roster spot.

Schmidt is one of many right-handed defense prospects in the Tampa system. Even though he has good first passes, I question how his offense is translatable to the NHL. With no elite offensive tools, it’s tough to picture the 6-foot-6 defender on an elite NHL powerplay. He doesn’t have elite puck skills or speed, and he doesn’t play very physical, and you would like to see him play a little bit more in one of these two ways. Schmidt played this entire past year on the left side, while being right-handed, earning 33 points in 68 games with the Kitchener Rangers. It will be interesting to see if he takes a major step forward in his development this year.