MORNING SKATE NOTES
- Utah held an optional morning skate ahead of Friday’s game against the Wild.
- Defenseman Nate Schmidt’s next game is his 800th in the NHL.
- Forward Jack McBain’s next game is his 300th in the NHL.
Optional Skate
Utah held an optional practice on Friday after the team practiced on Thursday. Here’s who participated on Friday (in no particular order):
Nick Schmaltz, Brandon Tanev, Logan Cooley, Kailer Yamamoto, Barrett Hayton, Nick DeSimone, Olli Määttä, Clayton Keller, Nate Schmidt, John Marino, and Liam O’Brien.
Mr. 800
Tonight, when Nate Schmidt hits the ice, it’ll be his 800th career NHL game. Schmidt’s career started during the 2013-14 season as a member of the Washington Capitals. From there he’s had stops with the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, and now the Mammoth. Schmidt brings extensive experience and a Stanley Cup Championship to Utah and he’s been an invaluable member of the team on and off the ice.
“(Schmidt) is one of (those guys) who has a good balance, he knows when it’s time to be dialed in, and when it’s time to pick up a teammate,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “When to push and when to pull. He’s been through all the situations (in his career) … we’re spoiled in the sense that we got a guy with a lot of experience … he can help us in key moments keeping your composure, when it’s time to relax, and when it’s time to raise the level of urgency. He has a really good feel of the room, feel of the situation. I think he’s a really key part.”
For the Utah defenseman, he’s focused on enjoying the moment and enjoying the journey.
“Sometimes hard to believe,” Schmidt smiled about his milestone. “When they put it on the board this morning in our meeting it kind of hit me for a second … Everyone says it, it goes by fast. Everybody always says enjoy it. So, I’ve been trying. First 799 is just trying to enjoy this ride I’ve been on. There’s been a lot of fun moments, some other moments as well, but this is something that is fun for me. I enjoy this. The games number can go up but the age number can come back down.”
300 and Counting
There’s another games played milestone tonight as center Jack McBain will play his 300th NHL game. McBain has been a strong contributor all season long whether winning faceoffs, or bringing physicality to the game. The forward played his 159 games with the Arizona Coyotes and has played 141 contests with Utah. Through his first 299 games, McBain has scored 41 goals and added 61 assists for 102 points.
Schmidt reflected on what McBain brings to this group both on and off the ice following morning skate.
“He’s got one heck of a mustache right now,” Schmidt laughed. “I’ve been aspiring for that for a long time. He’s a guy that, I didn’t realize how much he can play up in your lineup and down your lineup. He can do a lot of different things for you. He’s physical, he’s tough, he can play with skilled players. That’s something that I think he has added to his game more since I’ve seen him come into the league.”
Facing the Wild
This is the second time the Mammoth and Wild are playing each other this season. Since these teams last played, Minnesota has added all-star defenseman Quinn Hughes and regained several players back from injury. The Mammoth are expecting this to be a hard-fought divisional matchup.
“It’s a team who makes a lot of plays,” Tourigny explained. “They’re excellent with the puck. Their defensemen move the puck really well, they can contribute, so on and so forth. But if you look throughout their lineup, they have guys who can make plays.”
To counteract this, Utah is focused on bringing a strong effort themselves.
“We need to be really aggressive in our puck pressure and having good defensive position,” Tourigny shared. “Offensively as well. We want to make sure we’re strong on pucks, possess the puck, make good decisions and having heavy traffic in front of the net.”
