SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Akira Schmid on a two-year contract through the 2027-28 season.
"We are excited to sign Akira for the next two seasons in South Florida," said Zito. "He has the size, athleticism and competitive drive that fits the identity of the Florida Panthers, and we're looking forward to watching him succeed with our group.”
Schmid, 26, appeared in 34 games with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2025-26 producing a 16-10-6 record and two shutouts.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound native of Bern, Switzerland has competed in 82 career NHL games, logging a 32-28-10 record and three shutouts between five seasons with Vegas (2024-25 to 2025-26) and the New Jersey Devils (2021-22 to 2023-24).
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Schmid has appeared in 10 games recording a cumulative 4-4 record, .924 save percentage, 2.26 goals against average and two shutouts, the second-highest save percentage and fourth-lowest goals against average among goaltenders with at least 10 playoff appearances since 2022-23. His two playoff shutouts both came with the Devils in Round 1 vs. the New York Rangers, where he became the fifth rookie goalie in NHL history to post a shutout in a Game 7, and the 10th rookie netminder to post multiple shutouts in the same playoff series.
On the international stage, Schmid most recently represented Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina and earned a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, posting a perfect 3-0-0 record along with a .946 save percentage and 0.86 goals against average over three tournament games.
Prior to his professional experience, Schmid played three seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) between the Omaha Lancers (2018-19 to 2019-20) and Sioux City Musketeers (2019-20 to 2020-21), compiling a cumulative 43-33-4 record, .918 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average. He was named USHL Goaltender of the Year in 2020-21 after leading the league in goals against average (2.01) and save percentage (.921) with Sioux City. Schmid also led the USHL in save percentage in 2018-19, posting a .926 mark with Omaha.
Schmid was originally selected by New Jersey in the fifth round (136th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
2026-27 Florida Panthers preseason tickets are on sale now! To score tickets for the Panthers matchups on Sept. 20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes and Sept. 26 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, click here. For all the latest in Panthers news, concerts and events at Amerant Bank Arena & FTL War Memorial, sign up for '93 Society newsletter and receive information straight to your inbox. Visit FloridaPanthers.com or SeatGeek.com for all ticketing needs.
