Schmid's amazing journey leads him to Devils starting goalie in playoffs

NEWARK, N.J. --A glance at Akira Schmid's resume is probably all you need to conclude his eye-opening debut in the Eastern Conference First Round for the New Jersey Devils might have been the easy part.

The 22-year-old rookie goalie has been on the go since his arrival in North America from Switzerland in 2018. He not only played for five different teams in five years, he had double hip surgery that kept him off the ice for four months in 2020.
"Through it all, Akira never lost sight of what he wanted to do and what he wanted to become," said Luke Strand, Schmid's coach for two seasons (2019-21) with Sioux City of the United States Hockey League. "I mean, there were a lot of learning curves and routines (after surgery) to not just be the best goalie, but also the best professional."
It's quite amazing to see Schmid in the spot he's in today, winning his first two games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the New York Rangers to help New Jersey tie the best-of-7 series 2-2. He could become the first Devils goalie since Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, against the Rangers in the 2012 Eastern Conference Final, to win three straight playoff games.
RELATED: [Complete Devils vs. Rangers series coverage]
"What you're seeing is obvious, but it's what's inside," said Devils radio analyst Chico Resch, an NHL goalie for 14 seasons. "Akira's obsessed with being successful. This is who he is, 'I'm a goalie and this is going to be my legacy.'"
Game 5 is at Prudential Center on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2, MSGSN, MSG).
"Playoff hockey? It's still just a hockey game," Schmid said. "Obviously it's going to be more intense, but you just try to make the least amount of mistakes you can to give your team the best chance."
Schmid's impact on the Devils since supplanting Vitek Vanecek as starter in Game 3 has been nothing short of remarkable. He's stopped 57 of 59 shots (.966 save percentage), including all 10 against eight New York power-play opportunities.
"I don't believe I've ever had a goalie do this," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "[Dominik Hasek] was a little older when I put him in (as Buffalo Sabres coach). Akira's shown he's been able to handle the big stage."
The Devils knew what they had in Schmid. He proved it during the regular season and down the stretch, when he went 4-1-2 with a 2.02 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in his final nine games (seven starts) of the regular season.

When Vanecek struggled during identical 5-1 losses in Games 1 and 2, Ruff met with his assistants to gain feedback on a possible change.
"Everyone voiced their thoughts on the situation, but I don't think it was that hard [a decision] knowing the player and what he's done," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "We know he's a very calm goalie. We know he's even-keel, and that ripples through your lineup. It really does. I believe the players are very confident in his ability because his calmness instills that in the players."
Oh yes, that calmness. Never has there been a time when a situation, scoring chance or even a goal has seemed to rattle the rookie.
"I've always been more of a calm person, so I guess that's just how I am," Schmid said.
How did he achieve that level of serenity?
"Probably my dad (Andreas)," Schmid said. "He's basically exactly like me. Even when I started rehabilitation after hip surgery, I had the same mentality, just sticking, being calm and doing what the trainers told me. The Devils really supported me, and I had the pro team and my family helping me back home in Switzerland."
Schmid was chosen by the Devils in the fifth round (No. 136) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He played for Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League, Corpus Christi of the North American Hockey League, and Omaha and Sioux City in the USHL.
He was named USHL goalie of the year in 2021 after going 22-13-1 with a 2.01 GAA, .921 save percentage and three shutouts in 36 regular-season games for Sioux City. He has this season and next remaining on a three-year, entry-level contract he signed with New Jersey on May 17, 2021.
Schmid played for Utica of the American Hockey League before getting six games with the injury-plagued Devils last season.
"That experience helped me," he said. "It just kind of opened my eyes. I learned what I had to work on to play at this level, be consistent and successful. I had to pick up the pace a little bit, knowing not to cheat on certain 2-on-1s and being more stationary on 3-on-2s."
Fitzgerald said, "I just think he's a student of the game. He's definitely not our most athletic goalie, but I think the confidence he got from playing really well in the [AHL], especially at the start of the year, was important."
Schmid was 22-8-5 with a 2.60 GAA and .911 save percentage in 38 games for Utica last season and 11-7-4 with a 2.62 GAA and .905 save percentage in 23 games this season.
"What's most impressive to me was he went to Utica, spent time and got a taste of the NHL," Strand said. "He goes back to Utica and is still good ... it didn't throw him for a loop. He was killing it at both levels and that's hard. I just think it's a testament to the character that's inside that kid.
"Nothing fazes him."