Schmidt's Cup Win Caps 25 from 'U' in the NHL in 2024-25

MINNEAPOLIS - Twenty-five former players from the University of Minnesota men's hockey team took to the ice during the 2024-25 National Hockey League season capped off when Nate Schmidt lifted the Stanley Cup with the champion Florida Panthers Tuesday night.

For his 12th NHL season, Schmidt joined the Panthers as a free agent and appeared in 80 games in the regular season, registering 19 points. The St. Cloud, Minn., native went on to record 12 points in 23 playoff games during the cup run, including five assists in the finals, ranking fourth in postseason points among all defensemen.

Schmidt became the 14th player or coach representing the Golden Gophers to hoist the Stanley Cup and a program record fourth-consecutive season where a former Minnesota skater has won the prestigious trophy. He follows Erik Johnson (Colorado Avalanche-2022), Phil Kessel (Vegas Golden Knights-2023), and Kyle Okposo (Florida Panthers-2024) in that stretch.

Earlier in the year, Johnson added another milestone to his professional career as he took to the ice for his 1,000th NHL game when his Philadelphia Flyers faced the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 16, 2024, becoming the ninth Gopher to reach the mark. At season's end, there were 12 former Maroon and Gold skaters that played at least 60 games in the NHL, while Brady Skjei was the lone Gopher to play all 82 games, before eight skated during the playoffs.

Four Gophers made their professional debuts at the conclusion of the college season with roommates Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel stepping into the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks on March 30, 2025. Jimmy Snuggerud skated with the St. Louis Blues for the first time April 1, and then it was Matthew Wood's turn for a solo rookie lap with the Nashville Predators on April 6. Minnesota now has sent an NCAA-record 130 players to the NHL in program history.

Gophers in the NHL (2024-25)
Nick Bjugstad | Utah Hockey Club (66 GP, 8 G, 11 A, 19 PTS)
Travis Boyd | Minnesota Wild (3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS)
Logan Cooley | Utah Hockey Club (75 GP, 25 G, 40 A, 65 PTS)
Brock Faber| Minnesota Wild (78 GP, 10 G, 19 A, 29 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (6 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS)
Hudson Fasching | New York Islanders (43 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS)
Erik Haula | New Jersey Devils (69 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (5 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PTS)
Justin Holl | Detroit Red Wings (73 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 PTS)
Erik Johnson | Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche (36 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS)
Ryan Johnson | Buffalo Sabres (3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS)
Matthew Knies| Toronto Maple Leafs (78 GP, 29 G, 29 A, 58 PTS) PLAYOFFS (13 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 7 PTS)
Jackson LaCombe| Anaheim Ducks (75 GP, 14 G, 29 A, 43 PTS)
Nick Leddy | St. Louis Blues (31 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (7 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PTS)
Vinni Lettieri | Boston Bruins (26 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 5 PTS)
Ryan Lindgren | New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche (72 GP, 4 G, 18 A, 22 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (7 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 PTS)
Ben Meyers | Seattle Kraken (8 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS)
Casey Mittelstadt | Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins (81 GP, 15 G, 25 A, 40 PTS)
Oliver Moore | Chicago Blackhawks (9 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 PTS)
Tommy Novak | Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins (54 GP, 13 G, 9 A, 22 PTS)
Mike Reilly | New York Islanders (18 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS)
Sam Rinzel | Chicago Blackhawks (9 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 PTS)
Nate Schmidt | Florida Panthers (80 GP, 5 G, 14 A, 19 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (23 GP, 3 G, 9 A, 12 PTS)
Nick Seeler | Philadelphia Flyers (77 GP, 3 G, 17 A, 20 PTS)
Brady Skjei | Nashville Predators (82 GP, 10 G, 23 A, 33 PTS)
Jimmy Snuggerud | St. Louis Blues (7 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS) | PLAYOFFS (7 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS)
Matthew Wood | Nashville Predators (6 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT)

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Players Mentioned

Oliver Moore

Sam Rinzel

Jimmy Snuggerud

Matthew Wood