Q&A: Schmidt talks escape rooms, off-day activities and more!

FORT LAUDERDALE – No bad days.

In his first season with the Florida Panthers, Nate Schmidt has certainly brought the vibes.

“A vocal guy that likes to have fun, always smiling, and positive,” Aaron Ekblad said of his fellow D-man. “That kind of atmosphere in the room is really important. [He] never gets down Especially with a team like this, we know that we're going to win a lot of games, so when we lose, we've got to find a way to just get over it quickly, learn from it, and move on. He's one of those good guys to do that.”

Lacing the skates up for over 700 games in the NHL, Schmidt has recorded 233 points (51 goals, 182 assists) and a +102 plus/minus rating in his career, which began in 2013-14 with Washington.

Joining the Panthers as a free agent one-year deal this past summer, the St. Cloud, Minnesota native has made an immediate impact, tallying 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 55 games.

Following practice at Baptist Health IcePlex on Friday, I had the chance to sit down with Schmidt to talk about good food, escape rooms, the Minnesota high school hockey tournament and more!

DARRAGH: How did you spend your break for the 4 Nations Face-Off?

SCHMIDT: I had a fantastic break. I spent my time in Florida. I love living down here. I went to Disney for a few days, took my son there. He loved it, I loved it. We were all fired up about it. Then my wife and I had our first little staycation, just went down to Miami for a couple of days. Grandma came down and watched the little guy. We were pretty much just around here soaking up the sun. I burnt my forehead on the first day. That was a colossal rookie mistake that won’t happen again. It hurt so bad, almost ruined my hat-wearing ability for the entire break, but I love it. Played a little bit of golf, went on a boat, and relaxed. It was the perfect amount of time to feel the itch to come back.

DARRAGH: How cool is it to have your son around for practices and games?

SCHMIDT: Honestly, I didn’t think [it’d happen] when I was younger. I’d see older players do it. I was like, “Oh, that’s pretty cool they see him.” There’s something about [my son] seeing me after the games and at the rink. He gets so jazzed up about hockey and he knows all the players already. He’s only a year and a half. He’s already given nicknames to some of the guys. It’s much more of a treat than I thought it would be.

DARRAGH: Now that we’re over halfway through the season, how much have you enjoyed being a Panther?

SCHMIDT: I think it’s never easy joining a new team. I felt like it took a little longer for myself to get in the flow of how this team plays. I just had to have confidence to continue to know that you can contribute to the team. I think it has just built up. I feel like I have been steadily climbing throughout this whole year. I feel confident right now on how I can play in this system, and I can see myself continuing to grow. I love how this team plays and how I fit in.

DARRAGH: There’s a lot of personalities within the D-core. What have you liked about this group?

SCHMIDT: Yes, we do. It’s an easy group to come in and mesh with because there’s a lot of characters and banter from some of the older guys. I find that to be what hockey is all about. That’s what the room is all about. That’s what makes it fun. Everyone loves playing games, don’t get me wrong, but those are the things that you miss when you’re away for 12 days. You miss that camaraderie. When the guys came back from 4 Nations, there was a hot stove in the gym for 35-40 minutes catching up about everything and we’ve only been gone for a week from each other. That’s what it’s all about.

DARRAGH: What is the mindset heading into the last two months of the regular season?

SCHMIDT: I find that we have a lot of games coming up against our division, that’s going to determine where you are and jockeying forward. It’s 25 games, it’s no small chunk, but it’s a race to the finish. That’s the part of the year when games start to go fast, points start to pile up. All of a sudden you blink your eyes and it’s April. Someone said this to me when I was younger: “Don’t ever wish for playoffs, for time to speed up, because in a blink of an eye it’s going to be here and there and gone.” It’s just enjoying this time that we have. It’s an eventful time. Hockey has an awesome energy around it from 4 Nations, and hopefully we can continue that buzz.

DARRAGH: Who is your crew on the road? What kinds of places do you like to go to?

SCHMIDT: I made my way with Bobby (Sergei Bobrovsky), Kuli (Dmitry Kulikov) and Barky (Aleksander Barkov) a little bit. We’ve been going to a lot of Asian fusion [restaurants] lately. I love to do things. I know that in the time of my life when I’m done playing, I’m not going to be visiting a lot of these cities. The Finns and I went to an escape room in St. Louis last time we were there. It’s stuff like that and mini golf. I love setting that stuff up because I love going to do it because you never know when you’re going to run across these places again. I try to make the most of going to different road cities and trying new places. I don’t like to sit in my room. I usually drop my stuff off in the room, go for a walk and get the lay of the land.

DARRAGH: What is your favorite way to spend an off-day in the regular season and summer?

SCHMIDT: It’s usually waffles at the Schmidt house on Sunday morning, since we play a lot of Saturday games. My son helps me, he loves it. Then, it’s usually an activity. Top Golf is a family activity, and we also go on the boat. I love going on the boat and anything outside. Anything that can get me out of the house, I’m good. In the offseason, going up to the cabin and just shut my brain off with the phone on the counter. Fish, kayak, and spend time with family.

DARRAGH: How would you describe the Minnesota high school hockey tournament to those not familiar?

SCHMIDT: It’s the microcosm of Minnesota all in one or two weekends. Everyone is watching. My aunt and uncle used to take me, and they had no allegiance to any team, they were just going. I didn’t have any allegiance -- my hometown team didn’t make it when I was younger. It’s just something you do. You go and watch. I’m excited to take my son there some day. It’s such a cool experience for players that are getting to play where an NHL team plays. The chanting back and forth from the student section, and coming out to the school song, it’s a lot of excitement. You’re playing for your town and the kids you grew up with. I spent four years playing (for my hometown high school) and loved every second of it. I had the chance to go (to the state tournament) twice, took fourth twice, but it’s something I’ll never forget.

DARRAGH: There are a lot of unique dishes in Minnesota and the Midwest. What’s one that you think people in South Florida need to try?

SCHMIDT: My mom makes a mean tater tot hot dish. Casserole, for you southern folk. I’d say that and walleye fingers. I don’t know how popular pumpkin bars are down here, but my aunt has her own little mini farm, and they’ve farmed them for a long time. They have fresh pumpkins, and they make fresh pumpkin pie. Chef’s kiss, it’s so good.