Jeff Schultz

'07-08 Stats                      Age (on October 1): 22                  Contract: RFA after '09

'07-08 Season Report

Before the season began, I said to myself "I'm really looking forward to seeing Jeff Schultz play...NEXT YEAR." As it turned out, my wish came what certainly felt like a year too soon.

The super-tall defenseman used his reach to his advantage, but got knocked around like a three-legged giraffe. Guys nearly a foot shorter who are not at all known for their physical play made Schultz look like a mite among midgets. (For those in the youth hockey know, that's a 6 year old against 16 year olds.)

But Schultz quietly was almost always in perfect position. His long reach kept guys to the outside and he grew a tad more physical as the year progressed. All this resulted in his team best +12 rating among Caps defensemen. He even finished tied for 2nd in goals (5) on the strength of the flukiest (some may say "ugliest") 3-game goal scoring streak you'll ever see. He added one more three games later to give him 4 goals over 6 games. He only had one other goal over the season's other 66 games. 

Schultz will never be confused as a goal scorer, though his shooting percentage may suggest otherwise. Interestingly, it was nearly double that of Mike Green's (13.9 to 7.7 percent.) 

Marred by an injury and forgettable play, his playoffs were cut short and far from the success he achieved during the regular season. He played just two games, the second of which he was on the ice for only 2 minutes and change.

Intangibles

Schultz was a deer in headlights for quite a while. He didn't want to so much as touch another guy, let alone body him off the play. Hence, I was calling for him to be sent down to Hershey so he could gain some confidence in his physical game.

The move was never made, but Schultz slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) ratcheted up his physical play and by the end of the year, he was actually using his body along the boards. The team's overall youth and inexperience on the blue line gave the coaches credence to keep him at the pro level since his defensive positioning was quite astute.

Hopefully he'll strengthen his lower body this offseason so he can more closely resemble Zdeno Chara rather than that tripod, long-necked mammal I referenced earlier.

Future Fit

Schultz was chosen two spots ahead of Mike Green in the same draft that brought Alex Ovechkin to Washington. Once Schultz can effectively use his size to play a more physical role, he should be a top 4 defenseman for more than a decade. While another first round, over-sized defender in the Caps organization, Sasha Pokulok, likely will never materialize into an NHL player (thanks to a concussion), Schultz is well on his way to a prosperous NHL career. 

2008-09 is the year I thought Schultz would be a very good player at this level, and I stand by my prediction.