Jake Schmaltz was born on April 24, 2001, in McFarland, Wisconsin. Jake’s cousin, Jordan Schmaltz, was an NHL player who last played for the St. Louis Blues during the 2019-20 season, and his other cousin, Nick Schmaltz, is a member of the Utah Hockey Club and totaled 61 points for the Arizona Coyotes last season. Jake played for Team Illinois U13 AAA team and scored six goals with 14 assists in 21 games during the 2014-15 season. The next year, Schmaltz moved to the U14 club and contributed two goals and seven assists in 20 games.
The left-shot forward played two seasons of high school hockey at Edgewood High School and totaled 43 goals and 57 assists in 48 games. In 2018, the Chicago Steel selected Schmaltz with the 65th pick in the fourth round of the United States Hockey League Draft. Schmaltz played one season with the Steel and was traded to the Green Bay Gamblers, where he scored 13 goals, and 19 assists in his first season with them, and then 19 goals and 34 assists as an assistant captain the next year. Schmaltz was chosen as a third-team All-Star.
The Boston Bruins Select Jake Schmaltz in the Seventh Round of the 2019 NHL Draft
The Bruins chose Schmaltz with the 192nd pick in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Schmaltz then committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2021-22 season and registered eight goals and 16 assists in 39 regular season games. Schmaltz’s production has declined the last two seasons as he has collected six goals and 17 assists in 70 total games. Schmaltz will enter his senior season at UND.