A slick-skating, puck-moving defenseman, Schultz was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 43) of the 2008 NHL Draft but had already committed to the University of Wisconsin.
Schultz made his mark with the Badgers, earning Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie honors as a freshman with 22 points in 43 games in 2010. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Schultz was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. In his final two seasons at Wisconsin, Schultz combined to score 91 points (34 goals, 57 assists) in 78 games.
A slick-skating, puck-moving defenseman, Schultz was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 43) of the 2008 NHL Draft but had already committed to the University of Wisconsin.
Schultz made his mark with the Badgers, earning Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie honors as a freshman with 22 points in 43 games in 2010. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Schultz was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. In his final two seasons at Wisconsin, Schultz combined to score 91 points (34 goals, 57 assists) in 78 games.
Following his junior season in 2011-2012, Schultz announced he was turning pro but was unable to come to terms on a contract with Anaheim and became a free agent. He signed with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2012.
Schultz started the 2012-13 season with Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League, where he scored 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 34 games. Even though he was called up to Edmonton when the NHL resumed play in January following the lockout, Schultz won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenseman for 2012-13.
That season, he also was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team after scoring eight goals and 27 points in 48 games, and he finished seventh in voting for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL's top rookie.
Schultz was traded by the Oilers to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 27, 2016 and scored eight points in 18 games. He played 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including all six in the Stanley Cup Final to help Pittsburgh win the championship.
Schultz scored 51 points (12 goals, 39 assists) in 78 games in 2016-17 and had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 21 playoff games to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup for a second straight season.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- WCHA All-Rookie Team (2010)
- WCHA First All-Star Team (2011, 2012)
- NCAA West First All-American Team (2011, 2012)
- AHL All-Rookie Team (2013)
- AHL First All-Star Team (2013)
- Eddie Shore Award (AHL - Outstanding Defenseman) (2013)
- NHL All-Rookie Team (2013)
- Signed as a free agent by Edmonton, July 1, 2012.
- Traded to Pittsburgh by Edmonton for Pittsburgh's 3rd round pick (Filip Berglund) in 2016 NHL Draft, February 27, 2016.
- Signed as a free agent by Washington, October 9, 2020.
