AFTER LONG ROAD, CUDA CAPTAIN RETURNS TO NHL
Mar 7, 2025By Nick Nollenberger (@NickNollen)
It had been 2,162 days since Jimmy Schuldt played in the only NHL game of his career—five years, 10 months, and 29 days. On Sunday, the Barracuda’s captain was recalled by the Sharks for the first time after Henry Thrun was placed on injured reserve. On Thursday, after nearly six years, he was back in the NHL, playing 14:15 in a loss to the Avs—an incredible feat of perseverance and determination.
Schuldt, the captain of the Barracuda, is in his first season under contract with the Sharks and his sixth as a pro. Between NHL appearances, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound defenseman played 402 AHL games between the regular season and playoffs.
After leading the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, to a 6-5 overtime win against the Henderson Silver Knights on Sunday, Schuldt was called into head coach John McCarthy’s office and given the news that he’d be joining the Big Club on their East Coast road trip. With little time to process, he was able to tell his parents in person since they were in San Jose for Barracuda Family Weekend. After that, he hurried home, packed a small bag, hugged and kissed his wife and dog, and was out the door to catch a redeye flight to Toronto.
"I almost forgot it was a 3 o'clock game, so when they told me I was going up, that normally means your flight is tomorrow," said Schuldt. "But I was told to go home, and an Uber would pick me up. So I basically walked out of the locker room, told my parents—they were excited—and told my wife. I got to the Toronto airport at 7:45 in the morning, took an Uber to the hotel, which is an hour away with rush hour traffic, showered, and headed to the rink for morning skate."
On Monday and Tuesday, he watched from the press box as the Sharks beat the Maple Leafs and Sabres in a back-to-back. It’s common for the lineup to stay the same after a win, so there was no guarantee he’d be getting in at all during the trip. But on Thursday, in the final game of a six-game road leg out of the Four Nations Tournament, the dream once again became a reality as Ryan Warsofsky gave the veteran pro an opportunity for his second appearance in an NHL game.
Despite the nearly six-year gap between NHL games, his dream of getting back never wavered.
"Sometimes you just think it's not going to happen, I'm not going to get the opportunity," said Schuldt. "I wasn't ready my first year when I made the Knights. I wasn't ready to be there, and I wasn't ready to help the team, and I kind of learned that over my first couple of years. This is a really hard sport at both levels, and watching guys do it every night is incredible. I adapted over time from more of an offensive defenseman, getting power-play time, to more of a shutdown role because I realized my best chance of getting back up was to play that style."
A highly coveted college free agent in 2019, Schuldt signed an entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on April 3, 2019, making his NHL debut three days later in Los Angeles against the Kings. In that game, he collected an assist on a Valentin Zykov goal and logged a team-high 21:03 of ice time. Despite an impressive showing in his first NHL appearance and making the Golden Knights out of camp the following season, he would not get another game with Vegas over the next two years.
After signing a one-year contract with the Sabres in 2021-22, he spent the full year in Rochester, aside from some time on the Sabres' COVID Taxi Squad. The following season, with no NHL offers, he signed a one-year AHL contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in late September. That year, he helped the Firebirds reach Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals. The next season, the Seattle Kraken signed him to a one-year NHL contract, but once again, he spent the full season in the AHL with Coachella Valley, helping the Firebirds reach back-to-back finals.
Despite all his AHL success, the call-up never came. Now 29 years old, he still hoped for another NHL shot.
After getting a game right out of college, he figured this day would have come sooner. That being said, he also recognized that some things are just out of your control.
"Honestly, no," said Schuldt when asked if he thought it would have taken this long to get back up. "Not in an overconfident way. But I think probably every guy who comes out of college and gets a game thinks the same thing. I thought there was a decent chance I'd get to play more games when I was younger, but it just never happened. The best thing I've done over the years is focus on how I can help whatever team I'm on win, and I think that's just a good mindset because, at the end of the day, that's why you play hockey."
A native of Minnetonka, MN, Schuldt was a standout defenseman at St. Cloud State from 2015-2019. A three-year captain, he was a dynamic offensive threat from the blue line in college, earning a Hobey Baker Finalist nod as a senior. But as his pro career unfolded, he adapted into one of the premier shutdown defensemen in the AHL.
Despite carving out a strong pro career, he was never given another NHL shot.
When Schuldt signed with the Sharks this summer, he knew he’d play a major role with the Barracuda. But he also saw an opportunity within a rebuilding organization to earn another NHL chance. Now that he's gotten another game, he's just appreciative of the opportunity.
"I've gotten passed up a lot in my career," said Schuldt. "So it's something I really appreciate. It is cool to take a step back, but at the same time, I'm just trying to do things the right way—work hard during practice, during morning skates, and just try to be ready. But I appreciate it a ton to have the opportunity, and it gives you perspective."
From the moment he joined the Barracuda, his professionalism set the tone. Often the first to arrive at the rink and the last to leave, he quickly became an easy choice as team captain.
Barracuda head coach John McCarthy called Schuldt an inspiring example of perseverance, determination, and professionalism. It's also a great example that if you do things the right way, you'll get rewarded.
"The timing of it was great because I thought he had a really good set of games before he went up, which is easy to point out to the other guys," said McCarthy. "When you do things the right way, you'll get rewarded with an NHL opportunity."
Barracuda rookie defenseman Luca Cagnoni has been Schuldt's D-partner for most of the season and says the chance to go back up is well deserved and long overdue.
"He works his butt off; he definitely deserves the opportunity," said Cagnoni. "He's such a leader, the way he controls things on the ice, even me out there, talking to me a lot, letting me know where to be."
Schuldt was assigned back to the Barracuda on Friday, which allows him to be eligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Whether he gets another chance with the Sharks this season or not, his approach and determination won't waver. But as long as he's playing, his motivation will lie in reaching the sport's highest level.