From ice dancing to bodychecks
Before making his mark in hockey, Kitchener Rangers defenceman was a budding figure skater
KITCHENER — Some of the memories are a little foggy.
There was a singles routine to a mash-up of music that included the “Imperial March” and “Fanfare” from the “Star Wars” movies.
There were costumes, intricate footwork and attempts at axels.
And, later, a move to ice dance with partner Chloe Sills and trips to provincial championships.
But, in the end, Kitchener Rangers defenceman Roman Schmidt chose hockey.
“I don’t remember all of it,” the 18-year-old said of the early days. “I have flashbacks of it sometimes and can picture being in the arena.”
Long before the hulking sixfoot-five, 210-pound blueliner was crushing foes into the dasher boards, he was a graceful figure skater.
“I think he got his first pair of figure skates when he was one,” said Schmidt’s father, Derek.
“He only wore figure skates until he was seven. My wife was adamant that he become a figure skater. She felt hockey was uncouth and those guys spit on the floor and it was gross.
“Figure skating was much more refined.”
There was reason for the enthusiasm behind figure skating.
Schmidt’s mother, Elizaveta Stekolnikova (Liza), is a twotime Olympic ice dancer from Kazakhstan, who also competed in seven world championships. His dad was a singles skater who came up alongside Elvis Stojko and had several top-10 finishes in the Canadian men’s finals.
The couple met while training in Ottawa, where Roman grew up and got his start in figure skating. He started in singles but quickly outgrew it.
“By the time he was seven I was telling my wife that he’s going to be too big for figure skating singles,” Schmidt’s dad said.
“I’m comparing him to the other seven-year-olds I was teaching and I was like, this is not going to work. We did guide him into ice dance where there isn’t as much jumping and spinning and it’s not so acrobatic.”
That lasted until he was about 10. By then, Schmidt was well into hockey and had to decide which sport to pursue. To him, the choice was easy.
“I was just built more like a hockey player and it made more sense,” he said.
“Both sports took so much time, so I had to choose one. My parents had no problem with me picking hockey and they were so supportive of me and still are.”
So supportive that the clan moved to Toronto so Schmidt could play with the Mississauga Rebels and, later, the Don Mills Flyers, since there was no elite minor midget system in Ottawa.
From there, Schmidt headed to Plymouth, Mich., to suit up for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for two years.
He qualified for the renowned program since he was born in Michigan while his parents coached there.
Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning third-round draft pick is a top defenceman for the Rangers.
Kids used to tease him when they found out he was pulling double duty as a hockey player and figure skater, but he looks back with fondness. Besides, all that fancy footwork has paid off.
“Just doing a lot of turns and putting myself in uncomfortable situations that you won’t use in a game just makes you more comfortable on your edges,” he said. “It all translates into games when you’re using two feet.”
Schmidt’s dad now teaches figure skating in Milton and, for the first time in years, can regularly watch his son in action.
His mom is also an ardent supporter but living in Michigan — for now — with his 12-year-old brother, Gabriel, who plays with a club just outside Detroit.
Schmidt is hoping she can join his dad at Rangers games soon.
In the meantime, he’ll keep defending the zone and scoring goals for the Blueshirts — he leads the Rangers with five markers — who are off to a 5-1 start.
Just don’t expect him to perform a twizzle for the boys at practice.
“I don’t think most of them really know that I was a figure skater,” he said.