Ex-Knight Nate Schmidt relishes ‘great memories’ in Las Vegas

Winnipeg defenseman Nate Schmidt is prepared for what he will encounter when the Jets play the Golden Knights in a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series beginning Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.

His deep knowledge of the Knights extends far beyond any box score.

“You have to be locked and loaded against (Jonathan Marchessault),” Schmidt said with a laugh after Monday’s practice at T-Mobile Arena. “You have to be ready (for all the chirping) just in case. You never know when that motor mouth is going to get buzzing. You know how he is.”

Schmidt heard it every day in practice for three seasons as one of the original members of the Golden Knights before he was traded to Vancouver in the 2020 offseason.

He spent a season with the Canucks and the past two with Winnipeg and will return to the postseason in a city where he still owns a home in which his parents plan to stay during the series.

Schmidt, 31, remains close with several players, members of the organization and many others in Southern Nevada. It comes from the sense of community that was built during that magical inaugural season.

“I don’t think that’s something you just walk away from,” he said. “It’s something I kind of took pride in to say, ‘We’re here.’ That’s kind of part of being on that first team, that we’re not going to be a one-and-done group and then see you later. I think that’s the reason you still see the guys around in the community, playing in charity games and things like that. You feel connected to the community as a home. There are a lot of great memories.”

That bond has continued even though most of those players are spread around the NHL through the normal churning of rosters. Schmidt said he spent time with David Perron a few weeks ago when the Red Wings visited Winnipeg.

“You see those guys around, any of them, and it’s amazing the bond that’s there,” Schmidt said. “You don’t really get rid of that feeling of what we had. It’s sad because you wish you could go on and continue to build on that group, but that’s the nature of the beast in professional sports.”

Schmidt recently started thinking about the possibility of playing the Knights as it appeared the matchup could happen in the first round.

“I don’t know if there was a want for it to happen,” he said. “We were just trying to get ourselves in and take whatever we could get. … But I feel like this needed to happen at some point anyway. We need to go through this team, so why not get it out of the way right away.”

Schmidt, who had seven goals and 19 points in 71 games this season, has experience with a similar situation. He came to the Knights from the Capitals, their opponent in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

“I didn’t know what it was going to feel like going to Washington … it’s a lot of emotion,” he said. “You just have to understand it’s going to be part of it. It was hard to play Washington, but you learn from it. It’s naive to think you’re going to be fine when you walk on the ice. It’s not going to be that way.”

Especially at T-Mobile Arena.

“I remember stepping on the ice there for the first time in a playoff game,” he said. “I can only imagine as a visitor. It’s just got that energy, and I’m really excited for it because that’s why you play hockey. It’s one of the best places to play in the playoffs. The place gets absolutely rocking.”

The crowd might have a hard time being too vitriolic toward Schmidt, who remains a beloved part of the franchise’s past.

“We’ll see about this week,” he said. “That’s still TBD. But it’s good to see a lot of people you interacted with, whether that’s in hockey or not.”

There’s a good chance Schmidt will settle back in Las Vegas when his career is over.

“It’s the home base for the foreseeable future,” he said.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.