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Akira Schmid

Minor Transactions: 3/31/25

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It has been quite a busy day on the transaction front, with plenty of college players signing their entry-level contracts.  Meanwhile, there have been some other moves involving NHL players and prospects.  We’ll quickly run through those here.

  • The Jets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled center Jaret Anderson-Dolan and goaltender Chris Driedger from AHL Manitoba. Anderson-Dolan is up after Rasmus Kupari suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion, while Driedger will cover for Eric Comrie, whose wife went into labor over the weekend.  This is Anderson-Dolan’s second recall of the season but he didn’t play in the first one.  He has 19 points in 51 games with the Moose this season.  Meanwhile, Driedger was acquired from Florida near the trade deadline, combining to make 25 appearances between their farm team and Manitoba, playing to a 3.03 GAA and a .877 SV%.
  • The Golden Knights have recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from AHL Henderson, relays Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). He’ll be covering for Ilya Samsonov for the time being who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.  Schmid is in his first season with Vegas after being acquired at the draft but has played almost exclusively with the Silver Knights, posting a 3.58 GAA and a .886 SV% in 30 outings.
  • The Predators announced that they’ve reassigned wingers Hiroki Gojsic and Kalan Lind to AHL Milwaukee. Gojsic was a late third-round pick in June and has already signed his entry-level deal.  The 18-year-old had 20 goals and 17 assists in 61 games this season with WHL Kelowna but with the Rockets missing the playoffs, he’s eligible to be sent to the minors.  As for Lind, he wrapped up his major junior career with WHL Red Deer, tallying 12 goals and 15 assists in 37 games with the Rebels.  A 2023 second-round selection, Lind has also already signed his entry-level deal and since he’s 20, he’ll be turning pro full-time next season, an option that won’t be available to Gojsic.

Golden Knights Sign Goaltender Cameron Whitehead

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Cameron Whitehead to a two-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced today that the team came to terms with Whitehead, the team’s 2022 fourth-round selection. It is not yet known whether Whitehead will report to the AHL or ECHL.

Whitehead, 21, spent the last two seasons at Northwestern University and started 35 of the team’s last 37 games, securing a .911 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average in those contests. He also helped lead the team to the semifinals of the 2025 Hockey East Conference Tournament, beating top seeded Boston College along the way. Prior to his time in college, Whitehead spent two seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars, where he recorded a 41-23-6 record in 74 games.

At 6’3, 189 pounds, the lefty-catching prospect has the size NHL teams covet and provides Vegas with a solid prospect to put between the pipes. Whitehead joins current AHL starter Carl Lindbom atop the organization’s goaltending prospects list. Lindbom is having a great start to his North American career this year, recording a 16-11-1 record and .915 save percentage in the AHL. Lindbom could be knocking on the door of the NHL, especially considering current Golden Knights’ backup Ilya Samsonov is set for free agency following the season.

Also in the prospect mix is 2024 third round selection Pavel Moysevich, although the massive 6’5 prospect has yet to make his way over to North America from Russia. He has spent the season between the VHL and KHL, recording an .898 save percentage with SKA St. Petersburg through 18 appearances on the season. There is also 24-year-old Akira Schmid, who has seen limited action in parts of three NHL seasons, but has struggled mightily this season in the AHL, recording an 8-18-3 record to pair with his .884 save percentage.

Golden Knights Place William Karlsson on LTIR, Recall Three

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The Vegas Golden Knights are spending their final days before the 4-Nations Face-Off break by jumping through salary cap hoops. They’ve announced a litany of roster moves intended to maximize their cap space accrued from long-term injured reserve, all captured by PuckPedia. Vegas first recalled winger Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid, then reassigned center Raphael Lavoie. Those moves placed them $135K under the cap ceiling. Vegas then placed top center William Karlsson on long-term injured reserve and recalled forward Jonas Rondbjerg, which they wouldn’t have been able to afford without shelving Karlsson. By recalling two players and getting as close to the cap ceiling as they could before moving Karlsson, Vegas maximized the amount of LTIR cap relief they were provided. They now sit with $5.133MM in available cap space, but will be one contract’s worth of cap over the limit when Karlsson is back to full health.

The string of moves were a great exercise in how to leverage the NHL’s LTIR policies, but Vegas will still be worse for wear without Karlsson. The 32-year-old centerman hasn’t played since January 20th, when he sustained a lower-body injury against the St. Louis Blues. He was immediately ruled out week-to-week, and the team still didn’t have a clear timeline for his return 10 days later. An LTIR placement will now force him out of the lineup through at least February 24th, the second game after Vegas returns from break.

Karlsson has continued to serve as a top center for the Golden Knights, but his season has been filled with abnormal scoring struggles. He has just 18 points in 38 games on the year, and was amidst a seven-game scoring slump prior to his injury. Karlsson has one assist in 10 games since the start of 2025. He’s still provided strong performances for the Golden Knights away from the scoresheet. He currently sits with a fantastic 58.9 percent faceoff win-rate that ranks Karlsson fifth among all NHL centers. Karlsson has also recorded 89 shots on goal and a plus-seven, respectively ranking him third and fifth among the team’s forwards.

Those numbers represent an impact that’ll be hard for Vegas to replace. Their flurry of moves leaves the task of filling in up to Rondbjerg and Holtz. The latter has far-and-away been the more popular fixture of Vegas’ lineup. Holtz has scored 11 points in 49 games this season, while Rondbjerg hasn’t yet scored through 10 appearances. The duo should both earn ice-time on Vegas’ left wing while the team deals with absences to Karlsson, Lavoie, Cole Schwindt, and Tanner Pearson.

Golden Knights Assign Akira Schmid And Grigori Denisenko To AHL

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The Golden Knights have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s matchup against Utah.  The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Akira Schmid and winger Grigori Denisenko have been assigned to AHL Henderson.

Schmid was recalled two weeks ago to take the place of Ilya Samsonov, who was dealing with an undisclosed injury.  Samsonov returned to practice on Sunday and evidently has been cleared to return but won’t get the start.

Schmid got into one game while on recall, playing 33 minutes earlier this week in relief duty against Carolina, stopping all 12 shots he faced.  The 24-year-old has a career 2.85 GAA and a .900 SV% in 44 career NHL appearances and has a 3.56 GAA with a .885 SV% in six appearances with the Silver Knights so far this season.

As for Denisenko, his time with the big club was short-lived as he was only brought up on Wednesday.  However, he did suit up that night against Anaheim, receiving a little more than eight minutes of ice time in his first NHL game of the season.  The 24-year-old has been productive in Henderson this season, picking up a goal and six assists in ten appearances with them.

With the assignments, Vegas now has two vacancies on its active roster.

Golden Knights Recall Akira Schmid

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Vegas hasn’t had particularly strong goaltending in the early going this season with starter Adin Hill struggling, in particular.  Now, they’ve added a third netminder to their roster as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Akira Schmid from AHL Henderson.

The Golden Knights acquired the 24-year-old from New Jersey at the draft along with winger Alexander Holtz in exchange for center Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick.  Schmid was then non-tendered by Vegas to avoid giving him arbitration eligibility but he quickly signed a two-year, $1.75MM contract to stick around with his new team.

Schmid made quite an impact with New Jersey in 2022-23, playing to a 2.13 GAA and a .922 SV% in 18 games, even seeing some action in the playoffs.  However, he didn’t have anywhere near the level of success last season, posting a 3.15 GAA with a .895 SV% in 19 outings and was eventually assigned to the minors when Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen were acquired at the trade deadline.

While it originally looked like Schmid might be the backup to Hill when he was acquired, Vegas went out and signed Ilya Samsonov in free agency which put an end to any thought of that.  Instead, the Golden Knights utilized his waiver exemption to get him to the Silver Knights.  However, he has struggled with them in the early going this season, putting up a 3.56 GAA and a SV% of just .885 in his first six outings.  Notably, Schmid is eight NHL appearances away from being waiver-eligible.  SinBin.Vegas notes (Twitter link) that Samsonov is not on the ice for practice today which is what led to Schmid’s promotion.

Vegas had an open spot on its active roster so no corresponding move needed to be made to add Schmid.

Golden Knights Sign Akira Schmid

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The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Akira Schmid to a two-year, one-way contract with a salary of $875K in both seasons, per CapFriendly.

It’s been under a week since the Golden Knights acquired Schmid and Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in 2025. Due to his approximate $850K salary from 2021-2024, Schmid’s qualifying offer with Vegas would have been close to $900K, which the team decided not to extend to Schmid.

Only on the free agent market for a few days, Schmid officially joins the Golden Knights with plans on starting the year with their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Vegas already filled the hole left by the trade of Logan Thompson, as they’ve signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to assume the role of backup.

The past two seasons for Schmid could not be more dissimilar even though he totaled nearly the same amount of games played. On the backs of an impressively strong year from the rest of the young roster, Schmid recorded a 9-5-2 record while posting a .922 save percentage and 2.13 goals against average. Somehow, in only a year, Schmid recorded a 5-9-1 record for New Jersey, earning a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA.

It will be difficult for Vegas to surmise exactly what goaltender they will be getting after such a stark contrast in performance. By starting in Henderson, Schmid will join a team on the rise as they look to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 AHL season.

Golden Knights Trade For Alexander Holtz, Akira Schmid

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The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired goaltender Akira Schmid and forward Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). In return, New Jersey has received forward Paul Cotter and Vegas’ 2025 third-round pick.

This trade provides Vegas a quick fill-in for Logan Thompson after they dealt him to the Washington Capitals for two picks. Thompson served as Vegas’ starter in the wake of injuries to Adin Hill last season, posting 25 wins and a .908 save percentage in 46 starts. It was a strong year for Thompson that warrants another shot at opportunity. He’ll search for that in Washington, while Vegas brings in Schmid, 24, who’s filled a much more typical backup role with the Devils. He posted a measly five wins and .895 save percentage this year, but was much more effective as a rookie last season, when he managed nine wins and a .922 save percentage in 18 games. Schmid is still in need of a bigger sample size, but his career .899 save percentage through 43 games suggests a modest NHL upside.

The Golden Knights will get to test that upside alongside the surprising addition of top young forward Alexander Holtz. Previously the seventh-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Holtz struggled to earn consistent ice time under previous Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Even then, Holtz found his way to good effect, recording 16 goals and 28 points while playing in all 82 games this season. Holtz seemed rife with upside this season, even amidst an ever-changing role. Consistency in the Vegas top-six could lead to a major pay-off, though Holtz will have to fight with Pavel Dorofeyev for the role of young sniper atop the Vegas depth charts.

Meanwhile, New Jersey receives the projectable role of Cotter. He stepped as Vegas’ full-time fourth-line centerman this year, recording 25 points and 41 penalty minutes through 76 games. It was his second full-year on an NHL roster, having recorded 13 goals and 18 points in 55 games last year. Cotter doesn’t inspire too much down the lineup, though he should be a responsible addition to New Jersey’s bottom lines.

Devils Reassign Brian Halonen, Akira Schmid

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The Devils announced multiple roster moves today, namely that winger Brian Halonen and goaltender Akira Schmid were assigned to AHL Utica. No corresponding transaction is coming for Schmid, who was up while Kaapo Kähkönen was sidelined with an undisclosed injury yesterday against the Maple Leafs. Halonen’s roster spot goes to right-wing prospect Graeme Clarke, who was recalled from Utica.

Halonen had been on the Devils’ roster longer than Schmid, coming up on an emergency loan over two weeks ago. Both have spent decent chunks of the season in the minors – Schmid made the Devils out of camp but has been in Utica for the most part since being demoted in late December. This was Halonen’s second recall of the season and Schmid’s fourth.

Halonen’s season began late, remaining on season-opening injured reserve until Dec. 30 with a lower-body injury. The free agent signing out of Michigan Tech two years ago has been spectacular with Utica since returning, scoring 16 goals in only 30 games. He’s only gotten into two NHL contests this season and has played sparingly when in the lineup, though, averaging 8:17 and failing to record a point with two shots on goal. He’s put up decent possession numbers at even strength (45 CF% and 58.5 xGF%, per MoneyPuck), but it’s hard to gauge anything with such a small sample.

The 23-year-old Schmid has taken a tumble this season, struggling no matter where he’s played after a strong postseason showing in 2023. In the majors, he’s put up a 5-9-1 record with a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA in 15 starts and four relief appearances and posted save percentages south of .900 in each of his two NHL starts since his December demotion. His numbers have been no different with Utica, posting a .891 SV%, 3.12 GAA, one shutout, and an 8-8-4 record in 20 appearances. The pending RFA may still earn a qualifying offer after his 2022-23 showing, posting a .922 SV% in 18 NHL appearances, but he’s unlikely to be considered for the backup job in training camp this fall.

With the Devils now eliminated from playoff contention, the 22-year-old Clarke gets a chance to build on his NHL debut, which came in January. The older brother of Kings rookie Brandt Clarke gets his second recall of the season after leading Utica thus far with 24 goals, totaling 47 points in 64 games. He logged a +1 rating, one shot attempt, and one hit back in January against his brother’s squad while logging 9:32. The 2019 third-round pick is a pending RFA upon completion of his entry-level deal.

New Jersey Devils Recall Akira Schmid

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The New Jersey Devils have recalled netminder Akira Schmid from the Utica Comets of the AHL. Schmid last dressed for New Jersey on March 5th and has lost four of his last five decisions.

A playoff hero a year ago for the Devils, Schmid looked like a possible extension candidate last summer but entered this year without a new deal and in the final year of his entry-level contract. Schmid struggled to start the season losing five of his first six starts and was never able to return to the form he displayed last season.

The Devils opted to demote Schmid at the end of 2023 hoping that he could regain his confidence and form, before recalling him in February. Schmid had two good relief appearances for the Devils, but they were unfortunately sandwiched between two underwhelming starts. Schmid was then assigned back to Utica where he has played 20 games this season, going 8-8-4 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. In the NHL this season, Schmid is 5-9-1 in 19 appearances and has a 3.15 goals-against average with a .895 save percentage.

The recall is not all that surprising given the comments Devils head coach Travis Green had about the Devils goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen on Sunday, saying that the netminder isn’t doing great after his lower-body injury.

Devils Reassign Akira Schmid

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4:10 p.m.: The Devils have returned Schmid to Utica after dropping today’s game against the Hurricanes 4-2. Barring injuries, that’s where he’ll remain for the rest of the season. He likely won’t be needed for Monday’s game against the Rangers as Kahkonen reportedly made it to New Jersey after the loss, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reports.

10:45 a.m.: After acquiring Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen in separate trades on Friday, the Devils returned goaltender Akira Schmid to AHL Utica.  However, his stint will be short-lived for now as team reporter Amanda Stein relays (Twitter link) that Schmid has been recalled and will serve as the backup today versus Carolina.

Kahkonen hasn’t made it to New Jersey just yet while Allen will require a work visa, a process that will be delayed due to the weekend so he likely won’t be available until closer to the middle of next week.  Accordingly, they needed a second option behind Nico Daws for today so this will qualify as an emergency recall, not one of their four post-deadline regular recalls.

It has been a disappointing season for Schmid so far.  After taking over as the starter down the stretch last season and into the playoffs, the 23-year-old has struggled mightily this season, posting a 3.15 GAA and a .895 SV% through 19 appearances.  Things haven’t gone any better with the Comets either with his numbers down there (3.47 and .886 respectively) being worse than at the NHL level.

One of the positives from New Jersey’s pivot to a new tandem entirely is that both Schmid and Daws will get to return to Utica for the stretch run, allowing them to both play some meaningful games down the stretch with the Comets in a tight battle for a playoff spot.  However, it will be a few more days before that will be able to happen.

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