BRYAN
SCHMIDT
Merrimack
Jr. | D | Bloomington, Minn.
Schmidt
has a shot at becoming the first Merrimack player ever
named first-team All-Hockey East.
Key
Statistics: Schmidt finished third on the Warriors
in scoring last season with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists).
Five of his six goals came on the power play. As a freshman,
he was a unanimous selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie
Team and a member of the INCH All-Rookie Team.
What
He Does: In any key situation – heck, any situation
at all – Schmidt is the first defenseman head coach
Chris Serino wants to send over the boards. It's been that
way for two years in North Andover, as Schmidt has successfully
used his size, offensive skills, and heavy shot to become
one of Hockey East's top defensemen.
The
Bigger Picture: This season the Warriors may rely
even more on Schmidt, who has been named a co-captain as a
junior. His offensive gifts will be treasured, since Merrimack
lost four of the top six scorers from a club that didn't exactly
wear out goal judges a year ago. Led by Schmidt, some very
talented defensemen return this season, including Rob LaLonde,
Jeff Caron and Ryan Sullivan.
Merrimack
coach Chris Serino on Schmidt: "I think our
defense is very underrated. Schmidt plays a ton for us, and
does a lot of things well."
