Akira Schmid will step onto Olympic ice for the first time Thursday when Switzerland faces France in the Winter Games opener. The 25-year-old Vegas Golden Knights goaltender has been the team’s most consistent netminder this season, posting a 16-6-6 record, and now takes that form to Milan.
Schmid is one of nine Knights players selected for the Olympics, though forward Jonas Rondbjerg (Denmark) is out with a lower-body injury. The Swiss roster boasts captain Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, and Nino Niederreiter, giving Schmid confidence: “We got a pretty fast group, and we’re pretty well-rounded from top to bottom. I don’t think we’re really missing anything.”
But Schmid may not be the top option in goal. Leonardo Genoni, 38, a Swiss legend, backstopped the team to silver at the last two World Championships and was MVP last year with 10 wins and five shutouts in his past 14 international games. Schmid could see action in group play, but Genoni is likely to start in knockout rounds.
Schmid last played for Switzerland at the 2024 World Championships, going 3-0 with a .946 save percentage and 0.86 goals-against average. This Olympics is the first since 2014 to feature NHL players, making it a true best-on-best tournament.
“Obviously, super excited. It comes every four years, that opportunity. I’m glad the NHL guys get to go. It’s going to be great hockey,” Schmid said. “Just putting in the work. Trusting the process, trusting the work you put in.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy praised Schmid’s consistency: “He has been our most consistent goaltender. Two guys (Adin Hill and Carter Hart) have been hurt, so they haven’t had the opportunity, really, to get consistency. We need Akira to be that guy we can rely on, and he has been.”
Switzerland opens against France, then faces Canada and Czechia in Group A. “You start with France, someone you want to beat, right? And then the next game is against Canada, which is probably one of the best teams ever,” Schmid said. “At the end of the day, you just got to take one game at a time and do your best.”
