Five games played might seem like the smallest sample size you can imagine for a goaltender like Akira Schmid. The Swiss netminder started three games and had a GAA of 1.26 and a save percentage of .944 in 2024-25. Yet, that left more questions than answers for the Vegas Golden Knights fanbase.
"Is this guy any good?"
"Will he falter when he's given a full season?"
Those were some of the questions asked among Golden Knights fans during the summer. It's easy to see why that was the case. He's a 25-year-old who's had 36 career starts in four seasons. That doesn't provide much in terms of a general vibe of a goaltender.
Yet, that hasn't deter Kelly McCrimmon and the Golden Knights from going with him during the 2025-26 season. He's expected to be the backup goaltender behind Adin Hill to start the year, acting as a proverbial doppelganger to the Stanley Cup winner.
Now, expectations are heightened.
Now, people want to see what he can do with the floor.
So, let's see what must happen to the Swiss goaltender to make that happen. What should he do to stand out in Las Vegas in his first full season?
What Akira Schmid must do to hit a home run with the Vegas Golden Knights
The most important thing for Schmid to do is learn how to utilize his size properly. He stands at 6'5" and is rather lean for a goaltender. He weighs 205 lbs., which allows for quicker movements. That makes life easier for him regarding using his size in the net.
However, he must allow swallow shots more and learn to use his size to his advantage. It's okay to absorb a shot with your body or take away space in the net. With Sean Burke's emphasis on using a goaltender's size to his advantage, that comes into play here.
Look at what happened with Adin Hill when he started 50 games. He used his big body to muster a GAA of 2.47 and four shutouts. Granted, he fell apart during the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. However, that's partially due to not being accustomed to a bigger NHL workload.
Another thing Schmid can learn from Hill is about composure. Attending Friday's "Coffee With The Coach," one thing Burke mentioned about Hill is how he didn't let a bad game rattle him. No matter what he did, he was always relaxed and confident. Keeping that same mentality will help the Swiss netminder go through the season without any hiccups.
Of course, other determining factors, such as health, come into play. That part has some Golden Knights fans on the edge. But that doesn't stop the coaching staff from having confidence in a goaltending group ready to take over the NHL. It's not like Schmid hasn't dealt with being in the spotlight before (see his 2023 series against the Rangers).