Ray Schultz (born November 14, 1976) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

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

who played 45 games for the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

; recording four assists and 155 penalty minutes. Schultz was an eighth-round draft pick of the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

After a successful junior career in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

and un-signed from the Senators, Schultz agreed to an entry-level deal with the New York Islanders as a free agent on June 9, 1997. Schultz spent the next six seasons within the Islanders organization as a depth defenceman, before leaving as a free agent in signing a contract with the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

on July 17, 2003. In the following 2003–04 season, with the Predators

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

affiliate, the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

, Schultz's veteran experience was looked upon in helping the Admirals claim the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

. On July 6, 2004, having left the Predators as a free agent, Schultz signed a two-year contract with the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

. During his final year under contract in the 2005–06 season, Schultz was included in a trade by the Devils, along with Pascal Rheaume and Steven Spencer to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

in exchange for

Brad Ference Bradley William Ference (born April 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ference played junior hockey with the Spokan ...

on November 25, 2005. He featured in just 16 games with the Coyotes affiliate, the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...

, before he was loaned to fellow AHL club, the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

. This concluded his professional career.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Ray 1976 births Albany River Rats players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Calgary Hitmen players Cleveland Lumberjacks players Ice hockey people from Red Deer, Alberta Kansas City Blades players Kelowna Rockets players Kentucky Thoroughblades players Living people Lowell Lock Monsters players Milwaukee Admirals players New York Islanders players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Ottawa Senators draft picks San Antonio Rampage players Springfield Falcons players Tri-City Americans players Canadian ice hockey defencemen