Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Nate Schmidt – The Hockey Writers –

The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season is officially over. The team finished with a 43-33-6 record, good enough to clinch the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Despite a strong series, the Mammoth lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 in six games. Meanwhile, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-28-10 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, outside of a playoff spot.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 49 players under an NHL contract and grade their 2025-26 season. Over the course of this summer, we’ll take a look at their season, their future, and give them an overall grade. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Nate Schmidt.

Player Info

Age: 35

2025-26 NHL Stats: Five goals, 17 assists, 22 points in 82 games

2025-26 Postseason Stats: Zero goals, one assist, one point in six games

Originally Acquired: Signed in free agency on July 2, 2025, by the Utah Mammoth

Contract Status: Entering the second year of a three-year deal with a $3.5 million average annual value (AAV). Unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2028

Season Overview

After reviving his career and winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers, Schmidt joined the Mammoth on a three-year deal, giving him some stability for the first time since his time with the Golden Knights. The defenseman was expected to be a depth defenseman and help provide experience to a young Mammoth team.

Schmidt made his Mammoth debut in the first game of the season alongside Sean Durzi on the second pairing. In the first three games of the season, the defenseman didn’t produce any points and was a minus-two. That prompted a change timed with Durzi’s injury. John Marino was placed on the second pairing with Schmidt, a duo that wouldn’t change for the rest of the season.

From there, Schmidt’s ice time increased to above 20 minutes a night, and his defensive stats improved. In his next five games, the defenseman finished as a minus player only once. In his ninth game of the season, Schmidt produced his first point as a Mammoth, an assist on the third goal of the game. He was a plus-four in that game.

Schmidt produced his second point of the season in the very next game, finishing October with two points and as a plus-seven. It only took three games into November for the defenseman to produce his third assist of the season. Across his next six games, Schmidt compiled three assists.

On Nov. 20, in a game against his former team, Schmidt scored his very first goal as a Mammoth. A game later, the defenseman once again had a big outing against the Golden Knights, producing two assists for his first multi-point game with the Mammoth. It also capped off a five-game point streak.

Nate Schmidt scores his first with the Mammoth! pic.twitter.com/gq1OwuyM3V

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 21, 2025

Schmidt finished November with eight points. December started off well for the defenseman as he produced an assist in the very first game of the month. Towards the middle of the month, Schmidt got his second goal of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Schmidt didn’t get another point during the month, but he did get his Stanley Cup ring when the Panthers came to Utah, a game in which he was a disappointing minus-two.

In January, Schmidt produced an assist four games into the month. He put up another assist a couple of games later. However, it was the Mammoth’s game against the Seattle Kraken where the defenseman had the best game of his season. He scored two goals and put up two assists to finish with four points and a plus-four. 

Schmidt didn’t produce another point until March 16, which ended up being his fifth goal of the season. During that stretch of games, he played his 800th career game. During Schmidt’s next game, he had yet another game against the Golden Knights where he produced an assist.

The defenseman produced two more assists to end his season with 22 points in 82 games. The most in his career since the 2021-22 season. It was also the first time in his career that he played all 82 games in a season. 

Defensively, Schmidt had a fantastic season. His average ice time of 19:42 was the most he had played since 2021-22. He finished as a plus-31, the second-highest on the Mammoth. Schmidt finished with 95 blocked shots, the third most on the team, and 78 hits, the sixth most on the team. 

For Schmidt, his first season in Utah was a success. The defenseman found more ways to improve his game, especially finding ways to connect with Marino on the Mammoth’s second pair. The duo became one of the best defensive pairings not just on the team but the whole NHL.

“Every year I find you have to do something new and find a way for your game to improve,” Schmidt said. “This year it was John and I finding a way to match our personalities and our playing styles and how talented and skilled he can be, and unlocking that. It was also bringing myself along, adding some more parts to my game as well.”

Schmidt didn’t take long to produce against the Golden Knights in the Mammoth’s first-round playoff matchup. He tallied an assist in Game 1. The defenseman didn’t register a point in the other five games. However, Schmidt did have some high ice time in the fourth and fifth games of the series, racking up 27 and 26 minutes in those games, respectively.

The series ended in six games with the Golden Knights moving on. However, for his first season in Salt Lake City, Schmidt was impressed by the group’s play and the great communication between the team and the players.

“I was impressed with how our youth was able to shine this year,” Schmidt said. “That’s one of the things I really enjoyed watching. The guys’ growth is a big part of that. You come to an organization, you don’t really know what to expect or what to expect of you. I thought it was pretty clear early on what that message was- for me, how I was going to be utilized and whatnot. It made a big difference in how I was able to prepare for my game.”

The Future

The Mammoth have clearly discovered a gem in Schmidt. While many, including the Panthers last season, saw him as a great locker room guy and a solid depth option on the blueline, Schmidt has turned into a great second-pairing player while bringing over his great personality to Utah.

His fantastic chemistry with Marino plays a big part in that. The duo ranked in the NHL’s bottom 40 in goals against per 60 minutes while playing the second most minutes among that group. Schmidt also jokingly thanked Marino for getting him to come out of his shell, the joke being that Schmidt is by far the more talkative one of the duo.

Schmidt loved playing with Marino and thought the duo’s play was great. However, the defenseman is more excited to see how much better they can get over the next couple of seasons now with Marino extended.

“When it comes down to it, we have a good understanding of what each other needs with the puck, without the puck, spots for each other,” Schmidt said. “That being said, I think there’s actually quite a bit of growth that John and I can have, and some aspects of the game, like our ability to jump in and add offense, and our ability to create a little bit more pressure with our feet defensively, I really do believe that there’s more to that.”

This season does make many excited for what the duo can do with a year of experience under their belt. While having a solidified duo of Mikhail Sergachev and MacKenzie Weegar will let the Mammoth deploy Marino and Schmidt for fewer minutes, it does create a very good top four if each pairing can continue playing solid.

Even if Schmidt has similar numbers offensively and defensively next season, it can be considered another great season for the defenseman. As the Mammoth get better, though, it will be easier for Schmidt to put up better numbers because he has more support around him and he and Marino don’t need to be the main duo.

So, Schmidt’s future is pretty easy to foresee. He will be on the second pairing with Marino to begin the 2026-27 season and will probably stay on that pairing, barring something crazy happening. If he has another great season, the defenseman will become eligible for an extension next July, something that looks more likely after every great game.

It’s been a great fit with Schmidt and the Mammoth. It’s a place he and his family have loved living in, and the whole experience has been perfect for everyone involved.

“My family and I have really, really enjoyed our time here so far,” Schmidt said. “The stuff that you can do, the family environment, I was really impressed. The sheer volume of our fans, and you see them out in the valley with the logo, hats, and stuff. It’s enlightening and exciting to see what grassroots looks like. I’ve been a part of it once before. It’s really fun.”

Overall Grade

Is there anything more you wanted to see out of Schmidt this season? When he was signed, people had concerns about his age, the term of his contract, and the money. Now, all of those concerns have been thrown right out the window with a great first season that challenged most of his career-high stats.

Can Schmidt get back to 30 points? Can his ice time continue to hover around 20 minutes a night? The answer can ultimately be yes to both of those questions if he continues to have a great connection with Marino and stays healthy. There is a great chance that another fantastic season is in the books for Schmidt in 2026-27.

Overall, Schmidt is getting an A for this season. Especially for a 35-year-old defenseman, the numbers Schmidt had this year were great. His pairing with Marino (who received the same grade this summer) was one of the best defensive duos he has been a part of during his career. There’s not much anyone can complain about when it comes to the defenseman’s season.

As Schmidt said, the best could be yet to come. It’s exciting to think about how much better he can get with a season in Utah under his belt. The defenseman has had many memorable moments in his career, including helping the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final in their first season and winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers. However, when all is said and done, his time with the Mammoth might be the best of his career if he continues his great play.