Schneider ‘very fortunate’ to enjoy early success

EDMONTON, Alberta — Gearing up for a playoff run with big-time acquisitions at the trade deadline is all Braden Schneider has known in his two NHL seasons.

The 21-year-old defenseman has been a mainstay on the Rangers’ bottom pair since he was recalled from AHL Hartford in mid-January last season, and the game Friday night against the Oilers was the 98th game of his NHL career. To put it in perspective, the Rangers have gone 61-28-11 since he made his NHL debut, not including their 10-10 record in the playoffs last season.

“It’s crazy to think how much success I’ve been able to be a part of so far,” Schneider told The Post after the Rangers’ morning skate at Rogers Place on Friday. “I feel very fortunate. It’s a lot of fun to learn and grow from guys that have been there and done that and it makes coming to the rink really easy when you know you got a team like we do. It’s a lot of fun.”

Players always talk about how easy it is to take these types of seasons for granted. Teams aren’t in position to beef up their lineup every season before the trade deadline, in preparation for what they hope to be a long playoff run. Schneider has seen a lot of early success in his career, but the secondyear blueliner has learned from the players around him to appreciate it while he’s in it.

Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury has gone out each of the past two seasons and brought in a new defensive partner for Schneider. Last season, it was Justin Braun from the Flyers. This season, it’s Niko Mikkola from the Blues. Schneider has been able to adjust to both on the fly pretty seamlessly, but he said he doesn’t think Drury is tailoring moves to find him defensive partners.

Mikkola, who skated in his fourth game with the Rangers on Friday, said he feels age is just a number and that Schneider plays older than his actual age. Mikkola said he has noticed that Schneider plays a simple game and is always looking to make a smart, first pass to the forwards.