Schmaltz’s start has people noticing, including former teammates.
“I don’t know the exact numbers, but I see the highlights every night,” said Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, a teammate in Chicago for parts of two seasons. “I think they know what they have amongst each other in Utah, but with him and their forward group, it’s translating that into wins and being in the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs and being a playoff-winning team and not just a team that produces and creates skill.
“It’s cool to see his game and where it’s come and to know him, with his team, they’re in a similar boat of trying to get to that level of being a playoff team and not just a team that can produce offensively.”
Schmaltz started working with Pilates instructor Jenny Carr and skills coach Jonathan Sigalet last summer. With Carr, he said he worked on movement, rotating, using his hips more instead of his torso.
“I don’t know, I just feel I’m more explosive and using the right muscles, everything’s working and it just makes skating and movement feel freer out there,” he said.
With Sigalet, it was finding ways to create more time and space. They also worked on finishing scoring opportunities in the slot.
“I feel I had a lot of looks last year in the slot that I didn’t score on, so just working on just shooting placement,” he said. “It’s not necessarily how hard you shoot it but just being able to pick a spot and hit it. Those shots are very tough for goalies to save when you’re in the slot like that and you get a pass from the corner, and they have to come out and try to get an angle on you.”
The work has led to more consistent production in the early going. The 29-year-old has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) during an eight-game point streak. He has at least one point in all but one game, a 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks on Oct. 13.