Ryan Schmelzer

Ryan Schmelzer (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey center and captain for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL).

After going undrafted into the NHL, Schmelzer spent four years playing for the Canisius College Golden Griffins while majoring in management. While attending Canisius, Schmelzer was named the Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward for 2016–17 and earned NCAA Second All-Conference Team honors. Upon concluding his senior year, Schmelzer joined the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL where he set new franchise records for goals and points in the Kelly Cup playoffs. As a result of his performance with the Thunder, Schmelzer signed a professional contract with the Binghamton Devils of the AHL.

Personal life Schmelzer was born on July 28, 1993, to parents Roger and Pam Schmelzer. While he was born in Cleveland, Schmelzer was raised in Buffalo, New York. Both Schmelzer's father and younger sister Holly played ice hockey.

Playing career Amateur Growing up in Buffalo, New York, Schmelzer played for the local Amherst Knights program while attending Williamsville East High School. Following the 2009–10 season, Schmelzer played one season with the Wheatfield Blades Junior 'B' club in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League before moving up to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. In his one season with the Blades, Schmelzer tallied 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points through 50 games. and the CJHL's First Star of the Month award. His 67 points also helped lead the Jr. Sabres to become the 2012–13 regular season champions of the OJHL's West Division and South-West Conference. Schmelzer also lead the team in postseason scoring as the Jr. Sabres won the franchise's first-ever playoff round. He was also being recruited to play for the Army Black Knights by Trevor Large who would later end up coaching Schmelzer at Canisius.

Schmelzer returned to the Jr. Sabres as team captain for the 2013–14 season. Although he experienced a dip in regular season scoring, Schmelzer finished with 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points through 35 games. He finished his OJHL career with 52 goals and 86 assists for 138 points over three seasons. He then added his first collegiate goal on November 8 against the Sacred Heart. As the season continued, Schmelzer became a mainstay center on the Griffins top line with wingers Shane Conacher and Ralph Cuddemi. On January 24, Schmelzer tied a program record for highest plus-minus rating during a win over Niagara University. He also set career highs with two goals and one assist during the win. As a result of his accomplishments, Schmelzer was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week on January 27. By the end of January, Schmelzer ranked fourth among NCAA rookie forwards in plus/minus rating while the Griffins ranked second in the conference.

While reunited with Cuddemi and Conacher for his sophomore season, Schmelzer centered one of the best offensive lines in college hockey but the Griffins finished the 2015–16 season in seventh place with a 12–22–5 record. Schmelzer improved offensively during his sophomore season, ranking third on the team with 32 points and 10 goals and tied for second with 22 assists.

After Cuddemi and Conacher graduated in 2016, Schmelzer entered his junior year without his usual top line wingers. While the team finished with a winning 21–11–7 record and their first regular season title, Schmelzer also earned numerous conference accolades. and NCAA Second All-Conference Team honors.

Prior to the start of his senior year campaign, Schmelzer was named captain of the Griffins for the 2017–18 season. As team captain, Schmelzer helped guide the Griffs to a second-place finish during the regular season by tallying 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points. As a result of his efforts, Schmelzer was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team and received the team's Dr. David B. Dietz Hockey Booster Award. He later became the fourth player in Canisius program history to receive the Senior Class Award All-American Award for his efforts on and off the ice.

Professional Upon the conclusion of his senior year, Schmelzer signed an amateur tryout contract with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. He made an immediate impact upon joining the team, finishing the 2017–18 season with two goals and five assists in seven regular season games. In the Kelly Cup playoffs, Schmelzer appeared in all 17 games while setting numerous franchise records. His nine goals and 17 points were the most ever accumulated in a single playoff season.

Following the Thunder's elimination, Schmelzer signed a one-year contract with the Binghamton Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL) and was chosen to represent the New Jersey Devils at the 2018 Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge. After participating in the prospect challenge, Schmelzer was invited to New Jersey's training camp before being reassigned to the AHL for the 2018–19 season. Schmelzer made his AHL debut on October 13, 2018, and recorded his first professional assist four games later. He recorded his first AHL goal on November 2, against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Following an illegal check to the head in a game against the Utica Comets on December 8, Schmelzer was suspended for two games. He improved as the season continued and by March had accumulated 10 goals and six assists for 16 points over 55 regular season games. Binghamton finished the season last in the North Division with a 28–41–7 record. At the conclusion of his rookie season, Schmelzer signed a one-year AHL contract extension to remain with the team. Although Schmelzer played fewer games in 2019–20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he matched his previous season's points total of 24. While the AHL season was suspended, Schmelzer trained in his home in Fort Erie, Ontario, using propane tanks, water cases, and paint cans as weights. On July 13, 2020, he signed a one-year AHL contract extension to remain with Binghamton.

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Devils chose to move their AHL affiliate to their practice rink for home games in Newark, New Jersey, for the 2020–21 season. Following the conclusion of the season, the Binghamton Devils dissolved and the Utica Comets became New Jersey's AHL affiliate. On July 20, 2021, Schmelzer signed an AHL contract with the Comets for the forthcoming 2021–22 season. Prior to the start of the 2021–22 season, Schmelzer was named captain of the Comets. As captain, Schmelzer helped lead the Comets to a perfect 12–0–0 record to start the season, the best start in the AHL's history. Their streak was snapped at 13 games following a loss to the Rochester Americans on November 24. Under new head coach Kevin Dineen, Schmelzer put up a career high 18 goals and 32 points through 64 games to rank sixth on the team in scoring. and met with the Americans in the second round.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Wheatfield Jr. Blades GOJHL 50 15 22 37 34 4 0 2 2 4 2010–11 Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2011–12 Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL 41 11 19 30 26 8 4 7 11 10 2012–13 Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL 51 24 43 67 54 10 5 5 10 2 2013–14 Buffalo Jr. Sabres OJHL 35 17 24 41 22 11 3 7 10 4 2014–15 Canisius College AHA 36 5 9 14 10 — — — — — 2015–16 Canisius College AHA 38 10 22 32 58 — — — — — 2016–17 Canisius College AHA 37 12 18 30 43 — — — — — 2017–18 Canisius College AHA 32 13 17 30 20 — — — — — 2017–18 Adirondack Thunder ECHL 7 2 5 7 4 17 9 8 17 24 2018–19 Binghamton Devils AHL 66 14 10 24 42 — — — — — 2019–20 Binghamton Devils AHL 52 7 17 24 14 — — — — — 2020–21 Binghamton Devils AHL 15 2 5 7 6 — — — — — 2021–22 Utica Comets AHL 64 18 14 32 26 5 1 1 2 0 2022–23 Utica Comets AHL 68 6 29 35 35 6 3 1 4 2 2023–24 Utica Comets AHL 72 18 34 52 38 — — — — — 2024–25 Utica Comets AHL 72 23 21 44 57 — — — — — 2025–26 Utica Comets AHL 66 4 23 27 44 — — — — —AHL totals 475 92 153 245 272 11 4 2 6 2