Golden Knights sign Schuldt to 1-year, $850,000 contract

By Justin Emerson

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019 | 3:02 p.m.

It came in right under the bell, but what matters is that Jimmy Schuldt is signed.

The Golden Knights today signed their restricted free agent to a one-year contract worth $850,000, as the team began rookie camp at City National Arena. The agreement is a one-way contract, meaning Schuldt will receive the full $850,000 whether he is in Vegas or sent to the minors.

Schuldt was the last player expected to compete for a roster spot with a contract for the upcoming season.

“This is the organization I want to be a part of,” Schuldt said. “The people here are the best in the league in my eyes, and I’m just excited for the opportunity.”

Schuldt and General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said there was nothing to read into the timing of the deal, and neither worried Schuldt would miss camp. Though he was a restricted free agent, Schuldt did not accumulate enough service time to earn eligibility for an offer sheet. His options were limited, and putting pen to paper was more of a formality.

“When I came here, I knew it would get done,” Schuldt said. “It maybe looked bad or looked that way, but for us — for me and my agent and obviously the organization — we knew it would get done, so we weren’t concerned about that.”

President of Hockey Operations George McPhee said this summer that he expected a rookie defenseman to fill out the Vegas blue line.

Schuldt will be competing with Nicolas Hague, Zach Whitecloud, Jake Bischoff and others for a spot as the team heads to Anaheim, Calif., for the Rookie Faceoff.

“We’re happy that Jimmy Schuldt will be part of the tournament in Anaheim,” McCrimmon said. “I don’t believe there was any real concern on the part of Jimmy, his representation or ourselves. You’d think because it sort of comes in at the wire there was more to it; there really wasn’t.”

Schuldt has age and experience on his side, entering the season as a 24-year-old after a four-year career at St. Cloud State University, where he was a finalist last season for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player.

He went undrafted out of juniors and signed with the Golden Knights in April as an unrestricted free agent. He played in the season finale against Los Angeles and recorded an assist.

Schuldt is old for a rookie, and the Golden Knights could look at someone like Hague, 20, as a player with more upside. But Schuldt is determined to show the Golden Knights through rookie camp and into training camp next week that he is not done growing.

“I’m older than a lot of guys here, but show them my work ethic and what I can bring to the table on all aspects on the ice and off the ice,” he said. “I think that’s pretty important.”

Schuldt is going to get a look regardless. He’s not regarded as a top prospect among experts but still had 35 points in 39 games for a St. Cloud State team that went 30-6-3 and was the No. 1 seed entering the NCAA tournament.

He was a prized free agent, and the Golden Knights are happy they got him.