Make it a lucky number nine Vegas Golden Knights heading to Milan next month.
On Wednesday, Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid was officially selected to represent Team Switzerland at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
The 25-year-old Bern native previously represented Switzerland at the 2024 World Championships, helping his team win the silver medal. Despite backing up Leonardo Genoni, Schmid was able to record a 15-save shutout win over Great Britain in his first start.
Injuries have pushed Schmid into the spotlight in Vegas, with career highs in appearances (21) and starts (18). The goaltender has done his part to try and keep the Golden Knights afloat, sporting an 11-4-5 record with a 2.52 goals against average and .894 save percentage. Schmid has also recorded two shutouts on the season.
Schmid now is in some impressive company with his inclusion to the Olympics.
Team Canada possesses the greatest number of Golden Knights with four, as Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Shea Theodore will continue to play under a coaching staff including Bruce Cassidy. Team USA is next with both Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin set to represent the Americans. Switzerland now joins Czechia (Tomas Hertl) and Denmark (Jonas Rondbjerg) with one Golden Knight each.