Schmidt's long route to the NHL Draft

In the lead up to the NHL entry draft, some of the simplest questions have become a tad complicated for Roman Schmidt, a towering defenceman with Ottawa roots. Where, for instance, is home? “It's a lot of places right now,” Schmidt said in a recent telephone interview from Washington, where he has been busy with a specialized off-season training routine. “Vaughan (outside of Toronto) is my main home, but I've also been living and skating in Michigan, too, because things are a little more open.”

Or, how about this one? If he had a choice between wearing the Canadian maple leaf or the stars and stripes of the United States in international competition, which would get the nod?

“Well, technically, I'm both,” Schmidt said. “You definitely would put me on the spot on that one.”

Simply put, Schmidt, 6-5 and 215 pounds, has tried on countless things for size as he prepares for a draft where he will likely go anywhere from the second to fourth rounds.

TSN's Bob McKenzie ranks him 55th, Grant McCagg's Recrutes slots him 88th and McKeen's Hockey has him as the 137th best prospect.

Like so much else in his background that has seen him bounce back and forth over the border, where he ends up is full of intrigue.

Schmidt, who turned 18 in February, has spent the past two seasons with the U.S. national junior training program. After originally committing to Boston University, he has opted to play the 2021-22 season with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, who drafted him 2019.

“I only pretty recently stepped back and thought it all out,” said Schmidt. “Both Boston U and Kitchener are great programs, but the OHL is more like the NHL style, with three or four games each week. I've talked with my advisers and my family about the best way to get to the NHL.”

Family movement has also played a pivotal role in the twists and turns in his hockey life.

Schmidt was born in Michigan, where his parents — Ottawa figure skater Derek Schmidt and Elizaveta Stekolnikova, a two-time Olympic ice dancer from Kazakhstan — were starting their figure-skating coaching careers. And with that, he had U.S. citizenship.

The family moved to Ottawa and naturally enough, his first taste of ice came while wearing figure skates.

“Well, he was on the ice when he was one … we're skating parents,” said Derek, who has coached at the Minto, Gloucester and Nepean Skating Clubs.

Just the same, the skating background allowed Schmidt to immediately step into Triple-A hockey when he was seven. Schmidt went on to play in Cumberland and with the Ottawa Junior 67's programs.

With no elite minor midget option available in Ottawa, the family took a leap of faith by moving to Toronto, allowing Roman to play for Mississauga in the Toronto area. A year later, the defenceman joined the powerhouse Don Mills Flyers, scoring 18 goals and 53 assists in 73 games for the squad that went undefeated the entire season.

After that, another decision was at hand; choosing between Kitchener and the U.S. national program, housed in Plymouth, Mich.

Roman opted for the latter, with the family renting an apartment for the past two seasons.

The experience went well enough in the first year, but it wasn't all smooth sailing amid the stop-and-start, COVID-19 filled 2020-21 season.

One of the major reasons for coming back to Canada to play in the OHL is the promise of playing bigger minutes in Kitchener.

The family plans on celebrating the moment together — at one of Roman's homes.

“I will be training in the States, but then I will come to Vaughan for the draft weekend. And then I'll go right back to Michigan.”