Nate Schmidt’s Guide to the Offseason

This article was initially published in 2021 and lightly updated.

Nate Schmidt’s patented ear-to-ear grin says all you need to know about the Stanley Cup champion defenseman: On the ice or off, he’s having fun.

“If you’re not having fun playing hockey, why even play, right?” the St. Cloud native and former Gopher said. “Hockey life is short, and it’s only a small part of life – you’re best off having fun with it. The rest will fall in line.”

For Schmidt, who was undrafted before embarking on a 12-year NHL career (and counting), that’s not just an in-season priority.

From the Da Beauty League to summer sports to the utmost importance of taking a break, Schmidt fills us in on how he and other NHLers spend their summer months.

Minnesota Hockey: First things first: the hockey offseason, what has that always looked like for you?

Nate Schmidt: Honestly, I was playing every sport I could and doing as much as I could. My dad had a rule that if we didn’t participate in sports, we had to work. So, for me, it was hockey, baseball, football, soccer; I even picked up track and field on Saturday mornings. Any event they could put me in so I didn’t have to go to work – long jumping, hurdles. There was a time when I ran through a hurdle. I didn’t care; I wanted to play anything and everything I could get my hands on.

Minnesota Hockey: Aside from dodging work, why play so many other sports and not just stick to one?

Schmidt: I think it keeps you well-rounded when you’re doing that. Especially nowadays, when people want you to focus on hockey, baseball, or football, taking a break keeps your mind fresh and makes it more enjoyable. You get to meet new people. Some of my closest friends are my baseball buddies, with whom I went to high school.

Even today, with hockey as a job, I am doing more than just playing hockey. I played in a softball game the other day. I also play golf or pickleball – I try to do as much as I can because it keeps me athletic. The more athletic you can be, the better off you’re going to be in hockey.

Minnesota Hockey: Why do you think there seems to be a bigger emphasis on specialization so early?

Schmidt: I think everyone’s so focused on not falling behind, especially in their particular sport. But when you’re doing that, I think you lose the idea of what hand-eye coordination does when you look at it from baseball to hockey or football to soccer with feet and all these other things that you can use to your advantage.

I always played a little bit of hockey in the summer, participating in a few tournaments or games, but never to the extent that kids today do. I’ve even noticed that when I coached with the Minnesota Hockey CCM High Performance Boys 15s, about nine years ago, on Day 1, everyone was extremely rusty. On Day 1, you can already tell who had ice and has been playing, and who the ones without access to ice were.

However, by Day 3 or 4, everyone is back on the same page. It only takes a couple of days to catch up again – it’s not like you’re going to lose it over the summer.

Minnesota Hockey: You’re sprinkling in hockey now with Da Beauty League at Braemar – why do that when you only have a few weeks to take a break?

Schmidt: We play hockey as a job now, so we’re on the ice a little bit more. It’s two-fold, though, for us: guys enjoy coming because it’s fun, and you get to give back, see the kids and take pictures when you can, and it’s just fun. Plus, there are so many guys around here that you get to reconnect with a lot of your buddies.

The second thing is that it’s a tremendously competitive league. At times, when you’re watching, it looks like we’re just messing around, but if you look closely, it’s kind of like, guys want to win, and they don’t want to look bad, and so guys are trying so much harder not to look bad. It gets competitive, but it’s competitive in a proper and fun environment.

Minnesota Hockey: Does the lack of structure help you enjoy the offseason?

Schmidt: Absolutely. My biggest tip to kids is, whatever you do, don’t always play it organized. When I was in 3rd and 4th grade, my friends and I would go to a nearby dirt field and play baseball until it got dark. In the winter, we would flood and bring our skates to play all night until we couldn’t feel our toes. That’s where you pick up things you can’t always do at practice when someone is like, ‘hey, you have to do this, or I’m going to blow the whistle and start this drill.’ There’s a time and place for that, but you can’t make mistakes and not worry about it at practice. You find that failure in the unorganized games. Failing at something doesn’t mean you’ll always fail. You can fail at something and still be good at it someday.

Minnesota Hockey: Minnesota has produced some of the best players in the world – as Da Beauty League reminds us – why do you think that is?

Schmidt: Minnesota Hockey excels at its community-based model and playing with friends for as long as possible. When you’re playing with your friends, there’s that push that everyone wants to get better. It forces you to work harder. And in Minnesota, where the competition is so good, it raises the level at which you push yourself. Additionally, the competition makes it more enjoyable.

Minnesota Hockey: Any other advice?

Schmidt: Outside of trying to hammer playing other sports, I do think it’s so important to get out and do different things as much as you can. It doesn’t matter if you’re out fishing all summer, do something you love.