Jordan Schroeder

Jordan Schroeder
Born	(1990-09-29) September 29, 1990 Minnesota, United States
Occupation	Professional ice hockey center
Known for	Ice hockey career in NHL, AHL, KHL, SHL

Jordan John Schroeder (born September 29, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey center currently an unrestricted free agent, most recently affiliated with Brynäs IF competing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Originating from Minnesota, Schroeder spent two seasons developing within the USA Hockey National Team Development Program before committing to the Minnesota Golden Gophers squad in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). His freshman year was distinguished by receiving the WCHA Rookie of the Year award in 2009. Representing the United States men's national junior ice hockey team, he set American records for career assists and total points across three World Junior Championships. Coming into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, he was ranked fifth among North American prospects and was ultimately selected 22nd overall by the Vancouver Canucks, despite reservations about his physical stature. Schroeder spent several seasons developing with Vancouver’s affiliates in the American Hockey League (AHL) before making his NHL debut in 2013. After two seasons at the NHL level, Vancouver chose not to renew his contract, which led to a tenure with the Minnesota Wild.

Personal life

Schroeder was raised in Prior Lake before relocating to Lakeville, a suburb within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. His parents, John and Deb, were both athletically inclined; John participated in various sports while Deb excelled as a gymnast and cross-country runner. As the eldest of three children, Schroeder’s siblings Zach and Elly also pursued hockey. Beginning his hockey journey at age four, he rapidly surpassed his contemporaries in skill. He attended St. Thomas Academy and graduated with distinction from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, accelerating his academic progress through online courses at Brigham Young University to commence NCAA hockey earlier than usual. In 2007, Schroeder signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Minnesota, enrolling in 2008 with a focus on business and marketing education. He earned WCHA All-Academic recognition in 2010 after maintaining a 3.0 GPA across two semesters.

Amateur career

During his high school years at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, Schroeder played alongside Anders Lee, contributing to their victory in the Minnesota Class 1A championship in 2006. He then advanced to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) based in Ann Arbor for two seasons, leading the squad with 21 goals and 53 points during his final year there. In 2008, he joined the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers competing in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), becoming the youngest roster member. As a freshman, he tallied 13 goals and 32 assists over 32 games, earning WCHA Rookie of the Year honors.

Ranked fifth among North American prospects by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, Schroeder was chosen twenty-second overall by the Vancouver Canucks during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. His draft position was somewhat lowered due to concerns regarding his size and his performance at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Ahead of the 2009–10 season, speculation arose that Schroeder might depart Minnesota to join the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, but he opted to continue with the Golden Gophers. That season marked the team's first losing record in over ten years and an early exit in the opening playoff round. Schroeder concluded tied as team leader with 28 points across 37 games—a scoring low for a team leader not seen since 1962.

Professional career

On March 17, 2010, Schroeder inked a three-year entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks, securing an annual salary of US$900,000 in the NHL or between $65,000 and $70,000 in the minor leagues, along with a signing bonus of $270,000. He was assigned to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. In his professional debut on March 21, 2010, Schroeder netted two goals, including the decisive game-winner. Over 11 regular-season games, he tallied four goals and five assists as the Moose advanced to the playoffs. During the first playoff round, he achieved his inaugural professional hat trick and accumulated six points across six games. However, since he signed after the NHL trade deadline, he was ineligible to participate in the Canucks’ NHL playoff run.

Following his attendance at the Canucks’ training camp in 2011, Schroeder was sent back to the Moose. Early in that season, he notched three assists in a single game but sustained a high ankle sprain in December while ranking fourth in team scoring. This injury sidelined him for 16 contests. He concluded his rookie professional season with 28 points (10 goals and 18 assists) over 61 games, plus six points in 11 playoff appearances.

With the Moose relocating to St. John's due to the Winnipeg Jets' NHL return, Schroeder transitioned to the Chicago Wolves for the 2011–12 AHL campaign. He scored his debut goal for Chicago on October 14 and ended the season third on the team with 21 goals and a total of 44 points.

The NHL lockout during the 2012–13 season postponed Schroeder’s NHL debut; he began that year with Chicago, registering nine goals and ten assists in 30 games. Once the lockout concluded, he joined the Canucks in January 2013 and made his NHL debut on January 23. Two days later, he earned his first NHL point and then scored his initial two NHL goals on February 9, one being a game-winning goal.

Prior to the 2013–14 season, Schroeder had recovered from shoulder surgery but suffered a fractured left ankle during preseason. After returning mid-October, he re-injured that ankle necessitating surgery and missed several months. He appeared in 25 NHL games that season and recorded six points. The Canucks opted not to extend a qualifying offer afterward; subsequently, Schroeder signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 11, 2014.

Upon completing his contract with Minnesota following the 2016–17 season and entering restricted free agency without receiving an offer, Schroeder was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Dante Salituro on June 23, 2017. Four days later, he secured a two-year contract with Columbus. During the 2017–18 season, Schroeder played in 21 NHL games (registering one goal and one assist) while providing veteran presence for AHL affiliate Cleveland Monsters where he posted 36 points across 48 games.

On June 27, 2018, Schroeder was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Jean-Francois Berube. Throughout the entire 2018–19 season, he competed with their AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs and led that team with 19 goals and totaled 45 points over 62 games.

As an unrestricted free agent from Chicago, Schroeder signed his first contract abroad—a one-year agreement—with KHL club Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on May 17, 2019. On May 6, 2020, he agreed to a two-year deal with Jokerit based in Helsinki competing in the KHL.

Schroeder spent two seasons with Jokerit before their withdrawal from the KHL during the 2021–22 campaign due to geopolitical circumstances. As a free agent afterward, he committed to a two-year contract with Swiss National League side SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers on May 6, 2022. Following two seasons of underwhelming performance there, Schroeder was released by the Lakers in summer 2024 and subsequently signed a one-year contract with Brynäs IF of Sweden’s SHL.

International Competition

Schroeder made his international debut representing the United States junior national team at the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championships held in Finland. He played a key role in securing the silver medal and ranked third overall in scoring with 11 points throughout the tournament. The following year, as the youngest member of the under-20 squad at just 17 years old, he was the second-leading scorer for the U.S. team during the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic, accumulating eight points over seven games. Later in 2008, Schroeder earned player of the game recognition against Sweden at the U18 tournament, contributing five points and helping the United States claim the bronze medal.

At the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Canada, Schroeder set a new American record for career assists with a total of 15 and led his team by recording 11 points. He was also named player of the game in the matchup against the Czech Republic. On December 23, 2009, Schroeder was selected for his third consecutive appearance on the U.S. roster for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, becoming the first player from the University of Minnesota to participate in three such tournaments. During a quarter-final game versus Finland, he tallied three assists, surpassing Jeremy Roenick’s record with 26 career points and ranking third all-time with 20 career assists in World Junior history. In the gold medal game against Canada, Schroeder led his team with six shots on goal and scored one goal, finishing the tournament with three goals and five assists over seven games as Team USA secured the gold medal.

Regular Season and Playoffs

  | 2022–23 NL season   | SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers   | NL   |41|||10|||18|||28|||10   |-   | 2023–24 NL season   | SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers   | NL   |48|||3|||18|||21|||10   |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"    ! colspan="3" NHL totals   !165!!18!!24!!42!!14   !5!!1!!0!!1!!0   |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" KHL totals   !146!!48!!57!!105!!48   !8!!1!!1!!2!!0   |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" NL totals   !89!!13!!36!!49!!20   !2!!0!!2!!2!!0   |}

International

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2005–06	Saint Thomas Academy	MEC		31	27	35	62	—		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	U.S. NTDP U18	NAHL		31	12	11	23	10		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	U.S. NTDP U17	USDP		8	2	8	10	2		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	U.S. NTDP U18	USDP		17	6	13	19	4		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	U.S. NTDP U18	NAHL		14	1	8	9	4		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	U.S. NTDP U18	USDP		41	21	23	44	12		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	University of Minnesota	WCHA		35	13	32	45	29		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	University of Minnesota	WCHA		37	9	19	28	14		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Manitoba Moose	AHL		11	4	5	9	0		6	3	3	6	4
2010–11	Manitoba Moose	AHL		61	10	18	28	10		11	1	5	6	2
2011–12	Chicago Wolves	AHL		76	21	23	44	18		5	1	1	2	1
2012–13	Chicago Wolves	AHL		42	12	21	33	14
2012–13	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		31	3	6	9	4
2013–14	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		25	3	3	6	2
2013–14	Utica Comets	AHL		2	0	1	1	2
2014–15	Iowa Wild	AHL		35	10	18	28	10
2014–15	Minnesota Wild	NHL		25	3	5	8	2		3	0	0	0	0
2015–16	Iowa Wild	AHL		40	14	20	34	12
2015–16	Minnesota Wild	NHL		26	2	2	4	2		2	1	0	1	0
2016–17	Iowa Wild	AHL		25	6	12	18	12
2016–17	Minnesota Wild	NHL		37	6	7	13	0
2017–18	Cleveland Monsters	AHL		48	14	22	36	14
2017–18	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		21	1	1	2	4
2018–19	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		62	19	26	45	10
2019–20	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)		60	19	22	41	18
2020–21 KHL season	Jokerit	KHL		50	18	17	35	14
2021–22 KHL season	Jokerit	KHL		36	11	18	29	16

Year	Team	Tournament	Achievement		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007	United States	U18	Template:Silver2		7	4	7	11	0
2008	United States	WJC	4th place		6	1	7	8	2
2008	United States	U18	Template:Bronze3		7	3	2	5	2
2009	United States	WJC	Finished 5th		6	3	8	11	2
2010	United States	WJC	Template:Gold1		7	3	5	8	2
2016	United States	WC	Placed 4th		9	0	1	1	0
Junior career totals					33	14	29	43	8
Senior career totals					9	0	1	1	0

NCAA

Award	Year
WCHA Rookie of the Year honor	2009
Selected to All-WCHA Second Team	2009
Named to WCHA Rookie Team	2009
Included in WCHA All-Academic Team	2010

Minnesota Golden Gophers team distinctions

Award	Year
Rookie of the Year recognition	2009

International

Award	Year
Player of the Game (vs. Sweden) at 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships
Player of the Game (vs. Czech Republic) at 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships