Maddox Schultz, 14, leading U18 AAA hockey league in points

Maddox Schultz, 14, is leading the U18 AAA hockey league in points. (Brit Dort / CTV News)

Maddox Schultz continues to prove that he can play with the best of the best as the youngest player to suit up for every game for the U18 AAA Pat Canadians so far this season. On top of that, he leads the league in points with 41 in 21 games played.

Schultz has embraced being the rookie of the team as it’s not his first time being an ‘under-ager’ in a league.

“I played for the U15 AA Pat Blues as a 12-year-old and that was kind of similar to this year. I’ve been in that situation before and I think I handled it really well when I was 12. I think it hasn’t really changed,” he shared.

Schultz is technically still eligible to play U15 for one more season but he was granted by Hockey Saskatchewan to play full-time with the U18 squad this season. Schultz AP’d with the Pat Canadians last season for five games where he recorded 1G and 1A.

“Coach [Ryan] Hodgins called me. He asked if I would like to play with them tomorrow and I was super ecstatic. I was really happy. Ryan is an unreal coach, and I was looking forward to playing,” Schultz reminisced about the first time he got called up.

Plenty of hockey spectators, coaches, and players were already well aware of who Schultz was. He had already garnered attention from his unbelievable stats in last year’s U15 AA season. In 27 games, he had recorded a remarkable 63 goals, 71 assists for 134 points.

“His first year of U15 I was coaching against him and he was a special player. The speed, the things he does with the puck in full speed, just his overall hockey knowledge, everything about him,” Pat Canadians’ head coach, Ryan Hodgins said.

Schultz carried that confidence into his U18 tryout this year.

“Camp started in May and then we had another camp in August. I just wanted to prove that I could play at that level. I thought I did a really good job and I guess it was good for them to allow me to play,” Schultz said.

The five foot ten forward is very humble when asked about success but he does attribute a lot of his skillset to his parents who are both figure skating and power skating coaches.

“I’ve been playing hockey since I was four but have been skating since I was two. My dad really helped me when I was young and right now too just working on my skating and my edges. That’s part of what has shaped me to the be player I am today and it’s really helped my skating,” Schultz said.

Schultz was actually a figure skater and hockey player once upon a time but said he switched to just hockey when he was about eight.

“I think the best part of hockey is just working hard, scoring goals, setting up your teammates. Wining is always a part of it too,” he smirked.

The winning has come a lot for Maddox and the Pat Canadians as they are currently in first in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA league with a 16-4-1 record.

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The stats have proved that Shultz has adjusted to playing with players two-three years older than him but he does admit there is a big difference jumping from U15 to U18.

“It’s 44 games [this season]. So it’s more than I played last year. I played 27 last year. It’s a big step. The players are bigger, faster, stronger, and heavier for that matter. But it’s about working my hardest in the off-season [to compete with them],” he shared.

“But the work doesn’t stop now. I just try my best to help the team win and I think that’s what matters most.”

“His work ethic is second to none. He’s always putting in the time. He’s always on the ice, doing the little things, in the gym, he’s on the ice first all the time. Part of it too is you can see that he loves what he’s doing,” said Hodgins.

Hodgins added he did not think he would ever see a 14-year-old leading the U18 AAA league in points in his coaching career with a chuckle.

Schultz also has plenty of scout’s eyes on him as he has now officially entered his draft year for the Western Hockey League [WHL].

“It was cool seeing my teammates get drafted last year, some of them going high, which was cool to see. But I’m just trying to work my hardest, not let the pressure of the draft get to me. It’s something you keep in the back of your mind, but you kind of have to block it out,” said Schultz.

In the meantime, his teammates have embraced the young player as one of their own despite the age gap.

“They’ve been great. Driving me to school, to the rink. They’ve been awesome,” he said.