Schmidt Won Cup with Florida Panthers, Wants to Do It in Utah

Nate Schmidt won the Stanley Cup for the first time last month with the Florida Panthers and says after signing with the Utah Mammoth, he wants to do it all again.

Last summer, Matthew Tkachuk talked about the feeling of “being greedy” when it came to winning the Stanley Cup and it sounds like Schmidt gets it.

“I was in the gym last week, just trying to make sure that I’m ready for this next year,’’ Schmidt said on Thursday. “I’m not going to let this thing just be a one-and-done thing. I want to be able to be back again. It’s too good not to share with people around you and the people that helped get you there.’’

Schmidt ended up being the only player who spent the entire season with the Panthers not to return — and that’s because his bounce-back year with Florida earned him a nice new deal with the Mammoth.

After being bought out by Winnipeg and turning things around in South Florida, Schmidt has a chance to settle into Salt Lake City and make a nice life there with his wife Allie and their son Harvey.

That was important to Nate — but so was winning.

The Mammoth, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, look like they could be a playoff team this coming season. The franchise is certainly on the upswing in its new location.

“This is actually a team and an organization that have been building for a long time,” Schmidt told NHL.com.

“It kind of, in a lot of ways, mimics Florida and how they went through the draft, had a bunch of guys grow up together, and then start to make noise later as they got on in their careers. And that’s how I see this team. That’s something that kind of excited me. You see that type of trajectory again and see how it worked.”

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2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025

FLORIDA PANTHERS

UP NEXT

• NHL Free Agency: Opened June 1
• Panthers Rookie Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Early September
• Prospect Showcase @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Early September, Wesley Chapel
• Training Camp: Mid-September
• Exhibition Games: Starts Sept. 21 @ Nashville (doubleheader)
• Opening Night: Oct 7-9 (opponent, time, date TBA)