Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

for the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Schultz was born in Kelowna,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and grew up in the nearby City of

West Kelowna West Kelowna, formerly known as Westbank and colloquially known as Westside, is a city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The city encompasses several distinct neighbourhoods, including Casa Loma, Gellatly, Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, Shan ...

. He has previously played in the NHL for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

. Schultz won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

Playing career

Schultz played collegiate hockey in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

for the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, which competed in the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

(WCHA). He played in 121 games and scored 40 goals and 73 assists. Justin Schultz - Edmonton Oilers

Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2008, Schultz was unable to come to terms on a contract with the team. During the last week of May 2012, Schultz officially "de-registered" from the University of Wisconsin triggering a process that made him an unrestricted free agent (UFA). According to league rules, from the time Anaheim was given notice of the de-registration from school, they had a 30-day exclusive window to try to sign him or trade him. Anaheim was ultimately unable to sign him. Schultz was heavily recruited by up to 26 teams as a free agent, with the

having

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

and

Paul Coffey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among ...

personally recruit him.

Edmonton Oilers

On June 30, 2012, Schultz agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers. Due to the

2012–13 NHL lockout The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barg ...

that cancelled the first three months of the 2012–13 NHL season, Schultz played the first 34 games of his professional career in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) for the Oilers' affiliate, the

Oklahoma City Barons The Oklahoma City Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team's first season was 2010–11. They played their home games at the Cox Convention Center, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. History On February 9 ...

, recording 48 points to lead all AHL defensemen in scoring. He was ultimately awarded the AHL's

Eddie Shore Award The Eddie Shore Award is presented annually to the AHL's best defenceman. The award winner is chosen by AHL media and players. The award is named after Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Shore. Winners NHL-level Eddie Shore Award One of the Bos ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

as the league's top defenseman, despite participating in less than half of Oklahoma City's games. Schultz later played his first NHL game in the first Oilers game following the 2012–13 NHL lock-out against the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. He scored his first goal during the next game, the Oilers' home opener, against Antti Niemi of the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

on January 22, 2013. On August 28, 2014, Schultz signed a new one-year contract with the Oilers valued at $3.675 million. Justin Schultz 2017-06-11 16166 (2)

Pittsburgh Penguins

On February 27, 2016, with the Oilers out of playoff contention for the 2015–16 season, and suffering the worst season of his professional career with 10 points in 45 games, Schultz was traded to the

in exchange for a third-round pick in the

2016 NHL Entry Draft The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was the 54th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The first three selections were Auston Matthews going to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine go ...

. On June 12, 2016, Schultz won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh after the team defeated the

in the

2016 Stanley Cup Finals The 2016 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2015–16 season, and the culmination of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Western Co ...

. On July 13, 2016, after testing free agency, Schultz returned to the Penguins, signing a one-year, $1.4 million contract. In the 2016–17 season, Schultz had a break-out year in his first full season with the Penguins, setting career-highs in goals (12), assists (39), points (51), penalties in minutes (34), power-play points (20) and shots on goal (154). In addition, for the first time in his career, he finished a season with a positive plus-minus. His total number of assists, points, points per game played and plus-minus each finished within the top-ten in their respective categories among defencemen, and he emerged as the top blue-liner for the Penguins due to star defenceman Kris Letang being limited to only 41 games with various injuries. On June 11, 2017, Schultz won his second Stanley Cup title as a member of the Penguins after Pittsburgh defeated the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

in the

2017 Stanley Cup Finals The 2017 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2016–17 season, and the culmination of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburg ...

. On July 1, 2017, the first day of free agency, Schultz signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract to stay with Pittsburgh. In the 2017–18 season, Schultz suffered a lower-body injury in a game against the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and was placed on injured reserve (IR). He returned to the lineup on January 4, 2018, after missing 11 games. Schultz played in his 400th career NHL game on March 23, 2018, in a game against the New Jersey Devils. On October 13, 2018, just days into the 2018–19 season, Schultz broke his leg in Pittsburgh's game against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. He was placed on IR and would not play until mid-February 2019. One week after his return, he then scored his first goal of the season in the 2019 NHL Stadium Series game against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

. His 2019–20 season was mired by injuries and lacked offensive production (12 points in 46 games). During the subsequent off-season, Penguins general manager

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and front office executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks. Prior to his position with the Canucks, Ruther ...

revealed the organization would "move on" from Schultz, choosing not to re-sign him.

Washington Capitals

On October 9, 2020, Schultz signed as a free agent on a two-year, $8 million contract with the

. In 120 games with the Capitals over two years Schultz earned 50 points during the regular season (7 goals, 43 assists); in 11 postseason appearances he had 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists), all during the Capitals' 2022 playoff run.

Seattle Kraken

On July 13, 2022, Schultz signed as a free agent on a two-year, $6 million contract with the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Justin 1990 births Living people Anaheim Ducks draft picks Canadian ice hockey defencemen Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from British Columbia Oklahoma City Barons players Pittsburgh Penguins players Seattle Kraken players Sportspeople from Kelowna Stanley Cup champions Washington Capitals players Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans