Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Seattle Kraken, as well as in the National League for HC Lugano. Schultz won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
Schultz was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, and grew up in the nearby City of West Kelowna. Growing up in Kelowna, Schultz played three seasons of Junior A ice hockey with the Westside Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). During his rookie season with the Warriors, he began to draw interest from hockey scouts and was named on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's rankings. Schultz was eventually drafted 43rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL entry draft.
Following the BCHL, Schultz played Division 1 collegiate hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team at the University of Wisconsin for three years. He had a successful collegiate career where he set numerous program records. He became the third player in WCHA history to win two WCHA Defensive Player of the Year awards as he also became the first Badger defenseman to lead a team in goal scoring. As Schultz was unable to come to a contract agreement with the Ducks, he was heavily recruited by nearly all NHL teams following his junior year. He eventually chose to sign with the Edmonton Oilers on June 30, 2012, and remained with the organization for four seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. After five seasons with the Penguins, he signed with the Washington Capitals in 2020, whom he played with for two seasons before signing with the Seattle Kraken. After two seasons of play with the team, he signed on Switzerland for one season, joining HC Lugano.
Playing career Amateur Schultz was born on July 6, 1990, in Kelowna, British Columbia to parents Kim and Glenn. Growing up in British Columbia, Schultz played three seasons of Junior A ice hockey with the Westside Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He made his debut with the Warriors during the 2006–07 season after being called up from their midget double-A team. After scoring in his BCHL debut, Schultz returned to the Warriors full time for the 2007–08 season. Through his first full season with the Warriors, Schultz was selected to participate in the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game. He also began to draw interest from college team scouts and was named on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's rankings. While enrolled at Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School, Schultz committed to play Division 1 collegiate hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team at the University of Wisconsin. At the time of the commitment, he had accumulated eight goals and 26 assists through 50 games. He finished the 2007–08 regular season with nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points through 57 games. As he finished second in scoring among defensemen in his conference, Schultz was named the conference's Top Defenseman for 2008.
Following his breakthrough rookie season, Schultz was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 4third overall, of the 2008 NHL entry draft. He subsequently partook in the Ducks' Rookie Camp before returning to the Warriors for the 2008–09 season. Upon rejoining the Warriors, Schultz was selected to represent Team West at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge with whom he won a silver medal. Upon returning to the BCHL, Schultz was selected for the B.C. Hockey League's Interior Conference All Star team. He finished his second season with the Warriors as the only BCHL defenseman to average a point per game with 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points through 49 games. He was subsequently named the conference's Top Defenseman for the second consecutive year.
Collegiate Schultz played collegiate hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), for three seasons before turning professional. During his tenure with the Badgers, he played in 121 games and scored 40 goals and 73 assists. In his freshman season with the Badgers, Schultz immediately made an impact on the team, alongside defensive partner Cody Goloubef, as he helped them become one of the conference's best power units. The Badgers maintained a winning record of 6–3–1 as Schultz scored his first collegiate goal on November 13, 2009, in a 6–2 win over Alaska. His play throughout the season helped lift the Badgers to the WCHA Final Five, the collective name for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship rounds. During this time, Schultz was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team after he led all WCHA rookie defensemen with 16 points in league games. Schultz and the Badgers eventually faced off against Boston College in the National Championship Game, which they lost 5–0.
Upon returning to Wisconsin for his sophomore season, Schultz was paired with Jake Gardiner as the team's top defensive pairing. As the Badgers began the season with a six-game winless streak, Schultz made an immediate impact on the ice by scoring a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase. He subsequently became the fifth defenseman in program history to score three goals in a game. Following the hat trick, Schultz received the WCHA defensive player of the week honour while Gardiner received the offensive player of the week honour. His two-way play helped him rank second on the team in scoring by early December and earned him praise from teammates. At the conclusion of the regular season, Schultz earned numerous recognitions for his offensive and defensive abilities. As he finished the season leading all defensemen in goals and points, Schultz became the first sophomore to be named Defensive Player of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He was also named to the WCHA First Team and AHCA First-Team All-American. During his end of the season review with the UW coaching staff, he reiterated his commitment to return for his junior season.
Schultz remained true to his commitment and returned to the Badgers for the 2011–12 season despite confusion from hockey pundits and Anaheim Ducks staff. He later stated that he returned to UW because he did not feel prepared enough to turn professional. The Badgers squad for the 2011–12 season was the youngest under head coach Mike Eaves, as it was composed overwhelmingly of 11 sophomores and nine freshmen. Upon rejoining the team, Schultz was named an assistant captain along with junior center Ryan Little. In this new role, Schultz quickly continued his scoring prowess from the previous season as he led the team in scoring with five assists. Despite this, the Badger's powerplay struggled as they only scored 11% of the time. Schultz played the first five games of the season with Jake McCabe before the latter suffered an injury on October 21. Following the injury, Schultz found a steady defensive partner in Frankie Simonelli and they remained partners even when McCabe returned to the ice. The Badgers power play also improved as Schultz led all defensemen with nine goals and 28 points through 18 games, and ranked among the top three players in all of college hockey. By January, Schultz was in a three-way tie for the national scoring lead with 32 points as he tallied his 100th career point in a win over the RIT Tigers men's ice hockey. His offensive abilities came as he averaged 30 to 25 minutes per game and accounted for 70 percent of goals scored for the Badgers. However, as the Badgers continued their lacklustre play, he openly considered the idea of leaving before the conclusion of the season and turning professional. Schultz eventually chose to remain with the Badgers and he was soon chosen for the 2012 All-CHN First Team in March after he led all defensemen with 16 goals, 44 points, and a 1.19 points-per-game scoring average. Schultz also became the third player in WCHA history to win two WCHA Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was also named a 2012 First-Team All-WCHA defenseman and First-Team All-American. Lastly, he became the first player in program history to be named a two-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award top-10 finalist. At the team level, Schultz was recognized with the Spike Carlson Most Valuable Player Award as he became the first Badger defenseman to lead a team in goal scoring.
After withdrawing from UW following his junior season, Schultz and the Ducks were unable to come to terms on a contract within the 30-day negotiating window. As such, he became an unrestricted free agent and was heavily recruited by nearly all NHL teams. The Edmonton Oilers pushed hard to recruit Schultz, including having Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey personally recruit him.
Edmonton Oilers
On June 30, 2012, Schultz agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers worth $925,000 including a $92,500 signing bonus. Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout that cancelled the first three months of the 2012–13 NHL season, Schultz played the first games of his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Oilers' affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He was one of the few Oilers top young players assigned to the AHL, alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. He quickly made an impact on the ice and tallied six goals and six assists for a league-leading 12 points through October. As such, he received the CCM/AHL Player of the Month award for the month of October. By late November, the Barons maintained an 11–5–1–1 record as Schultz led the team in scoring with 10 goals and 28 points through 18 games. As a result of his play, Schultz was named the CCM/AHL Rookie Of The Month for the month of November. During the month, he had scored five goals and 14 assists for 19 points through 13 games.
Once the NHL resumed play in January, Schultz joined the Oilers for the remainder of the NHL 2012–13 season. Despite this, he became the first rookie to be awarded the AHL's Eddie Shore Award as the league's top defenseman, despite participating in less than half of Oklahoma City's games. Schultz was also named a 2013 AHL First Team All Star. Schultz made his NHL debut on January 21 in a 3–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his first goal the following day in a 6–3 loss to the San Jose Sharks during the Oilers' home opener. Schultz finished his rookie season with eight goals and 19 assists through 48 games and was subsequently named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
During the 2013 offseason, the Oilers added more defencemen to their roster including Andrew Ference, Philip Larsen, Anton Belov, and Darnell Nurse. Schultz returned to the Oilers for the 2013–14 season where he set new career-highs in goals, assists, and points through 74 games in the final year of his contract. "He began the season slowly as he missed eight games following a groin injury during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 29. Prior to returning on November 20, the Oilers had maintained a losing 2–6–0 record. He was expected to have been able to return earlier but was deemed not ready. In his first game back from the injury, Schultz scored his first goal of the season in an eventual 7–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.