Nate Schmidt talks trade to the Canucks, Quinn Hughes, and the Vancouver Christmas Market

The newest addition to the Vancouver Canucks, Nate Schmidt, had a call with media earlier today that ran for nearly 30 minutes. Schmidt was thoughtful with each of his answers and didn’t stop smiling for what felt like the entirety of the call.

He talked about a number of topics including what getting traded was like for him and much more.

“Last night was hard, you put down some roots in a place and you’re there from the beginning, which is always something special. Not many guys can say they’ve been in a place from the ground up,” Schmidt said of getting unexpectedly dealt from the Vegas Golden Knights last night. “One thing I will say is, we played the Canucks about a month ago, and there was about them in the bubble, a buzz about their young players and the talent that they have, especially up front and then on the backend with Quinn Hughes.”

Schmidt also added that when the Canucks showed themselves a team he’d want to be a part of when they refused to go down without a fight, forcing a game seven despite being down 3-1.

“That’s the kind of team that you want to be a part of, a group of guys that will fight for each other tooth and nail all the way down to the end. With each passing hour, you get more and more excited about the prospect and the idea of being a Vancouver Canuck.”

Schmidt also recalled a goal that will not soon be forgotten by Canucks fans during his availability, you know the one:

“I’m pretty sure I can remember Pettersson spinning me into a top last year to Brock backdoor, so fortunately for me, I don’t have to see that stuff anymore,” Schmidt said of the goal.

Schmidt also compared Quinn Hughes to another blossoming young blueliner, Shea Theodore, whom Schmidt was a teammate of for the past three seasons in Vegas.

“You get to play with Shea, you see everything Quinn Hughes gets to do,” Schmidt said. “His transitions, his hips swivel, I don’t have that in my game. I don’t think anyone has that in their game the way Hughes does. So that’s something I’m looking forward to. Shea’s someone that’s really blossomed into a fantastic player and I think the sky’s the limit for both of them. I see these guys as being the next wave, arriving as the next wave of guys that are going to be in that elite category for a long time.”

Of the place he expects to call home for the next five years, Schmidt said:

“This has been my favourite place to come to and visit every year. They have this awesome Christmas market that I buy my mom ornaments from every year, which is right downtown. So I always find that to be awesome. We always usually come around Christmas time. So like I said, everyone I talk with, Shea Theodore, he’s from Vancouver. And he’s got a place downtown. So he’s like ‘you’re gonna love it, it’s an awesome city, and I agree. I can’t overstate the idea of playing in a competitive market, getting the best of the best, it’s ‘Welcome to the Big Show.’ You know, it’s something that as a hockey player, you dream of, being on the big stage and this is it.”

“I can’t understate the fact of being on a team with the buzz that this team has. That’s really special. That’s what I’m most looking forward to.”

You can listen to the entirety of Schmidt’s first press conference here.