Jesse Schultz (born September 28, 1982) 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 ...

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He is currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

who most recently played under contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

Playing career

Junior

Schultz spent four seasons of junior hockey in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 h ...

, starting in the 1999–2000 season with the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans' flagship radio ...

. He would be dealt to the

Prince Albert Raiders The Prince Albert Raiders are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Raiders play in the East Division of the Eastern Conference. They are based in the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team plays its hom ...

midway through the 2000–01 season, where he played well, scoring 32 points in 35 games for the Raiders. However, it wasn't enough to get him selected in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, as he was passed over in his first year of eligibility. Schultz was traded to the

Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place. The R ...

for the 2001–02 season, and posted solid totals of 28 goals and 64 points. However, he was passed over again in the NHL draft as scouts deemed him too small and too slow for the pro game. However, a 53-goal, 104-point performance in 2002–03 would earn him a free-agent contract from 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 ...

on July 31, 2003.

Professional

Schultz turned pro in 2003, but failed to make the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets ...

, the Canucks' primary farm team. Instead, he suited up for the

Columbia Inferno The Columbia Inferno were an ECHL team based in Columbia, South Carolina. Beginning in 2008, the team went on voluntary suspension awaiting construction of a new arena in suburban Lexington County, South Carolina. However, the ECHL dropped Columb ...

, scoring 27 goals in 52 games. In 2004–05, Schultz did manage to stick in Manitoba, posting 9 goals and 24 points in 70 AHL games. The 2005–06 season was a turning point for Schultz. After a disappointing first two professional seasons and in the last year of his contract with the Canucks, his pro future looked uncertain. However, he would have a standout year, leading the Moose with 37 goals and 67 points, and re-established himself as a player with NHL potential. Heading into the 2006–07 NHL season, Schultz was considered a favourite to crack the Canucks' roster following the departure of several veteran forwards. Adding to his chances, he was a favourite of head coach

Alain Vigneault Alain Vigneault (born May 14, 1961) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. Vigneault has previously coached the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL, as well as in the Quebec Major Ju ...

, who had been promoted to Vancouver after coaching the Moose the previous season. However, Schultz had an extremely disappointing training camp and was returned to the AHL. Schultz was recalled to the Canucks after a solid start in Manitoba, and made his NHL debut on November 29, 2006 against the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

. On July 23, 2007, Schultz was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Atlanta Thrashers for Jim Sharrow. He would not play a game with the Thrashers in the 2007–08 season, instead playing with their affiliate the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

, where he would help them win the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. 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 its cur ...

. On July 6, 2008, Schultz signed with the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

on a one-year contract and was later assigned to affiliate the Houston Aeros. During the following season in 2009–10, Schultz joined the

Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

on January 6, 2010 for the remainder of the year. On June 23, 2015, Schultz returned to Europe in signing a one-year contract with German club, SC Riessersee of the DEL2. In the summer of 2016, Schultz moved to the UK to sign for the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. ...

but he left the club in late December 2016. On September 29, 2017, after beginning his third successive season in Europe with HC Nové Zámky of the

Slovak Extraliga The Tipos Extraliga (Slovak Extraliga) is the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. From the 2018–19 season to the 2020–21 season, the league included one or two teams from Hungary. In 2009, it was ranked by the IIHF as the fifth st ...

, Schultz returned to North America after five games in signing an ECHL contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones. He played three seasons with the Cyclones, winning the ECHL Most Valuable Player and ECHL Leading Scorer Award in the 2018–19 season. In 2021, he signed with the ECHL's

Greenville Swamp Rabbits The Greenville Swamp Rabbits are a professional ice hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and play their home games at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Gr ...

. With the Cyclones returning to play for the 2021–22 season, Schultz returned to the club agreeing to a one-year contract on July 14, 2021.

Personal life

Schultz's cousin,

Nick Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...

grew up in the same hometown and is also a professional ice hockey player.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, Jesse 1982 births Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Wolves players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Greenville Swamp Rabbits players Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Kelowna Rockets players Living people Manitoba Moose players Nürnberg Ice Tigers players Prince Albert Raiders players Rapid City Rush players SC Riessersee players Sheffield Steelers players Tri-City Americans players Undrafted National Hockey League players Vancouver Canucks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Italy Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in England HC Nové Zámky players IF Björklöven players SG Cortina players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Hungary Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Slovakia