Akira Schmid

Akira Schmid (born 12 May 2000) is a Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round, 136th overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Schmid played most of his youth and junior ice hockey in the SCL Tigers system. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at the end of the 2017–18 season, during which he was loaned multiple times from his junior team to professional teams within Switzerland. He moved to North America to start the 2018–19 season, playing three seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Omaha Lancers and Sioux City Musketeers.

On 17 May 2021, Schmid signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils. Schmid made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut on 11 December 2021, in a 4–2 loss to the New York Islanders. By making his debut with the Devils, Schmid made history in becoming the first goaltender to debut in the NHL directly from the USHL.

In the 2022–23 season, on 10 November 2022, Schmid collected his first career NHL win with the Devils in a 4–3 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators. On 25 February 2023, Schmid recorded his first NHL shutout with the Devils in a 7–0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. In first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Schmid started game three after starter Vítek Vaněček gave up nine goals in the first two games of the series. He went on to get the win in that game, and shutout the Rangers in games five and seven to secure the series victory for the Devils.

On 29 June 2024, during the 2024 NHL entry draft, Schmid and Alexander Holtz were traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in 2025. As a restricted free agent, Schmid did not receive a qualifying offer from Vegas, and thus became an unrestricted free agent two days later; however, he ultimately signed a two-year contract with Vegas on 3 July.

International play
Schmid represented Switzerland at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a silver medal.

Regular season and playoffs
Bold indicates led league.