Men's Hockey: A leader on and off the ice

On sunday evening, Brad Schroeder — like most other Canadians — was on the edge of his seat. In a game where the stakes could not be higher, Canada and the United States were battling in overtime of the Olympic gold-medal matchup for men’s hockey. And like most other Canadians, Schroeder rejoiced when Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner for Canada.

“I breathed a huge sigh of relief,” Schroeder said. “It was an amazing game. It was great to see another Canada-USA final. Both countries are really passionate about hockey.”

A native of Drake, Saskatchewan, Schroeder certainly had a vested interest in the gold-medal game. But Schroeder isn’t just a casual fan of the sport he knows and loves. For the past four years, the senior defenseman has made a name for himself as a stalwart for the Orange and Black.

Schroeder’s teammates recognize the positive qualities that he brings to the ice every day.

“You couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Brad, on and off the ice,” senior forward Cam MacIntyre said. “Brad is a real warrior on the ice. He is a guy that constantly sacrifices himself for the team. He leads our team in blocked shots pretty much every game, which is a really tough job to do. He’s a huge presence on our defense, and he makes it difficult for people to play against our team.”

In his four-year career with the Tigers, Schroeder has played in more than 100 games and has recorded one goal and 17 assists. He has twice been named to the ECAC All-Academic team. A stalwart on Princeton’s defense, Schroeder solidified his reputation last season when he played in all 35 games for the Tigers and notched assists in three of his team’s last four games.

One of his most important assists came in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, a game that Princeton lost to the University of Minnesota, Duluth, by a 5-4 margin in overtime.

Though Schroeder was an integral part of Princeton’s success as a junior last season, he said his fondest memories come from his sophomore year with the Tigers.

“We won the ECAC and Ivy League championships, and that was definitely the highlight of my career,” Schroeder said. “It was the best year in Princeton history, and being a part of that was amazing.”

Having grown up in Canada, Schroeder said that hockey was a large part of his country’s culture. His father played the sport, and Schroeder first picked up a stick at a young age. Schroeder’s two younger brothers currently play junior league hockey.

Before arriving at Princeton, Schroeder played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). During his time with the Humboldt Broncos, Schroeder really came into his own. He won the Hockey Ministries International Roger Neilson Award, an honor given to the player with the best sportsmanship on and off the ice.

Schroeder said that his time in the junior league was very valuable to him.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“I had three years to mature as a player,” Schroeder said. “Taking three years to play junior hockey helped the transition [to college].”

But he also said that the transition to collegiate hockey was not a particularly easy one to make.

“At every level, every player gets better,” Schroeder said. “Everyone is so much stronger and faster, so you have to adapt quickly to a more mature game.”

MacIntyre said he believes that Schroeder is constantly improving his defensive game.

“I think that Brad has gotten a lot stronger during his time at Princeton,” MacIntyre said. “It has made him really stand out as a solid, physical defenseman. Because of his size and strength, he is the kind of player that forwards on the opposing team are aware of when he is on the ice.”

Schroeder has certainly established himself as a formidable player on the ice. But it is perhaps his life off the ice that makes his Princeton experience so much richer. Brad and his wife recently had a baby boy named Noah.

Schroeder’s teammates said they were impressed with his ability to balance his home life with his hockey career.

“I think we all really admire Brad for the way he commits himself to hockey and to his family,” MacIntyre said. “I think you would expect most dads to be a bit preoccupied with things at home. But Brad shows up to the rink every day with the same level of commitment and work ethic that makes him such a great teammate.”

This weekend, in the first round of the ECAC tournament, Princeton will play a best-of-three series against rival Harvard at Baker Rink. To the casual observer, this series may not seem as monumental as the game between Canada and Team USA. But for the competitive and talented Schroeder, the Tigers might as well be playing for the gold.