The Boston Bruins certainly had their work cut out with the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Across seven rounds, they only had five picks with only two in the first three rounds. Thus, by the time they reached the seventh round, they were picking their fifth and final player of the day opting for American forward, Jake Schmaltz.
Jake Schmaltz was actually in the middle of his graduation party when he got the call to say the Boston Bruins had picked up his NHL rights in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Double the reason to celebrate for the native of Wisconsin.
At 6’1″, he has some height on his side, but his frame is slender to say the least topping the scales at just 167lbs. Seems that Jake Schmaltz may have to hit the weight room if he wants to step up into professional hockey, that or risk being easily pushed around.
That will no doubt occur in time too, as he is following the seemingly preferred route of the Boston Bruins organisation; heading to the NCAA to work on his game and continue his studies. Schmaltz is committed to the University of North Dakota next season, whose alumnus include current NHL players Brock Boeser and Zach Parise as well as his unrelated namesake, Nick Schmaltz.
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Jake Schmaltz suited up in his draft year in the USHL for the Chicago Steel, tallying 18 points in 60 games on a team whose scoring was dominated by the Toronto Maple Leafs found round (124th overall) pick Nicholas Abruzzese and Robert Mastrosimone, who went in the second round (54th overall) of this year’s NHL Entry Draft to the Detroit Red Wings.
His 18 points ranked 16th on the team, 12th among forwards; exactly the sort of production you realistically should expect of a player that was available in the seventh round.
Perhaps the big promise for the Boston Bruins is that, if Jake Schmaltz can round out his game, add a bit of bulk and focus on penalty-killing that he can quite possibly make himself a valuable piece on the fourth line a few years down the track.
He highlights his key strength as his fore-checking ability in an interview with the Boston Bruins official website:
"I think just working hard on the forecheck, just creating havoc and just being a positive guy on the bench."
This, in the modern-day NHL, is a valuable strength. Obviously, we’ve made a lot of his lack of bulk, but at eighteen years old and with a good college lined up, there’s every chance for him to fill out his frame.
Seventh round picks don’t always pan out as NHL players, but the raw ingredients to be a successful professional are certainly there for Jake Schmaltz.