Player Profile: Jake Oettinger

This past Saturday, Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger played in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, in Toronto.

Oettinger returned to NHL action when the Stars hosted the Nashville Predators at the American Airlines Center on January 12th. Although the Predators spoiled Oettinger’s return from a lower-body injury and a 12-game absence with a 6-3 win, the 25-year-old goaltender made 32 saves in a losing effort in Dallas.

After the Stars vs. Predators game, Oettinger told the media, “There are some things I can [definitely] be better at, some good stuff I did … Just move on and take the good and the bad.

Oettinger had a lot to be proud of despite taking a loss in his return. During Oettinger’s four-week absence from December 15th to January 12th, he was named an NHL All-Star. His ability to navigate adversity and obstacles has worked in his favor. His professional hockey career has been impressive so far. He not only endured injuries, but he also worked out hard and developed a hard work ethic.

Oettinger told NHL.com, “I like when people are against you, and you can show them … That’s what you dream about when you’re a kid, you want that pressure.”

Oettinger appears to be a man of his word. The Lakeville, Minnesota, native attended Lakeville North High School as a freshman before committing to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors in 2014-15, where he played two seasons while committing to Boston University. The Dallas Stars drafted the 6-foot-5, 220 lb goaltender with 26th overall in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Amidst all of his achievements, Oettinger’s success is rooted in Minnesota, as his family is everything to him. Oettinger has been engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Kennedi Schumacher, since June 8, 2023, when he made a cute Instagram post. There aren’t many details about the couple’s relationship, but it has been reported that Schumacher is a finance and marketing specialist based in Dallas.

Oettinger signed his most recent contract, a three-year, $12 million one, with the Dallas Stars on September 1, 2022. He previously signed a three-year, $4,162,500 contract with the Stars on March 25, 2019. His stellar play continues to drive the Stars to success, so I believe as long as he stays healthy, both physically and mentally, he’ll be alright.

In this year’s NHL All-Star Skills Competition, Jake Oettinger took on Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson but fell short of the win and the $100,000 prize. Oettinger made eight of ten saves.

And, in this year’s NHL All-Star Game, Jake Oettinger was on Team Matthews alongside William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Clayton Keller, Mathew Barzal, Igor Shesterkin, Filip Forsberg, Alex DeBrincat, and Vincent Trocheck. Team Matthews’ captains were Toronto Maple Leafs alternate captain Auston Matthews and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake Oettinger was off-ice friends with Justin Bieber, who’s a Stratford, Ontario, native and a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are off-ice friends with Bieber — and their design team drew up the Maple Leafs’ reversible third jersey.

You may love him or hate him, but Justin Bieber is a great singer and performer in the modern music era. Bieber is more than just a pop star, he has made history in a variety of other genres, such as Latin in “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, R&B in his little-known album Journals that featured singers such as R. Kelly, electronic dance in “Beauty and a Beat” featuring Nicki Minaj, and hip-hop as a guest in “I’m The One” by DJ Khaled, and country in “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay. He’s one of the best-selling artists of all time. Plus Justin and his younger half-brother, Jaxon, like to play hockey in their spare time.

Team Matthews edged Team Hughes 6-5 in a shootout in the semifinals. Team Matthews’ goals came from Alex DeBrincat, Mitchell Marner, and Filip Forsberg. Team Hughes’ goals were scored by Nikita Kucherov, Frank Vatrano, Elias Pettersson, and Brady Tkachuk. In net, Jake Oettinger was the goaltender for Team Matthews, while Cam Talbot served as the goaltender for Team Hughes.

Team Matthews defeated Team McDavid 7-4 in the finals. Team Matthews’ goals came from Clayton Keller, Mitchell Marner, Auston Matthews, Filip Forsberg, Alex DeBrincat, and Mathew Barzal. Team McDavid’s goals were scored by Boone Jenner, David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, and Tomas Hertl. In net, Igor Shesterkin was the goaltender for Team Matthews, while Sergei Bobrovsky served as the goaltender for Team McDavid. After the first half, Bobrovsky exited the game and Jake Oettinger entered for the second half. Oettinger finished the finals with eight saves for the win.