Season in Germany adds depth to Thunder forward Stephen Schultz’s life

Stephen Schultz needed an adventure.

Schultz grew up in New York, played collegiate hockey in Colorado, and had professional stops in Idaho, Texas and New Jersey, never taking his vocation outside of the United States.

Then, last year, Schultz played in Germany and had one of his most productive seasons, scoring 50 points in 48 games. A new life experience has helped Schultz settle in for the Thunder, for which he has scored a goal in each of the first two games.

The 26-year-old Schultz was one of the last additions of the Thunder offseason – he joined four days prior to Saturday’s opener after being waived by Orlando.

“I was actually on my honeymoon when my wife and I decided that Germany was going to be the place we were going to go,” said Schultz, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound right wing.

“You always hear about great opportunities over there (in Europe). We had a great time over there. We met some great friends, and we got to see the world a little bit. The hockey was great, and it was nice to see the culture side of things.”

Schultz’ autumn availability was a boon for the Thunder, which is 0-2 despite scoring in five of six regulation periods against Allen and Tulsa and getting eight goals by six players.

Playing on Wichita’s second line, Schultz provides depth behind top forwards Ian Lowe, Nikita Kashirsky and Alex Bourret and offers complementary scoring punch with linemates Kenton Miller and Kurtis Bartliff, who have four combined points.

Schultz is also an asset for the Thunder’s special teams. In 2012-13 for Trenton, he tied an ECHL record by scoring four power-play goals in a game, and he led the league in power-play goals with 18 that season.

“Part of my game is to score goals and put up points and create plays,” Schultz said. “That’s something I pride myself on and help the team out with. That’s just something I’ve kind of had – it’s kind of a gift – since I was younger. I keep working at it every day and learn not to take anything for granted.”

Settling in wasn’t quite as easy for Schultz at the beginning of his career. Even though he was undrafted, he began in the Triple-A American Hockey League, and he managed 11 points in 39 games over his first two years.

A year in the ECHL revitalized the offensive aptitude Schultz had shown in college, as he scored 27 goals with 27 assists in 55 games. He was just as good the following year in Germany, and appears on his way to a similar season with the Thunder.

“It’s definitely a lot of work off the ice, too,” Schultz said. “I like to take a little bit from every coach who has taught me along the way, and I always keep that in the back of my mind. Pretty much hard work has been paying off for me over the years. That’s pretty much what I owe it too, I guess. I don’t really have a formula for it.”

Schultz became more productive a season before he played in Germany, but the perspective offered in Europe was invaluable to his career and to his personal growth. He is weighing a return to Europe next season, but the Thunder may prefer to keep him stateside at the expense of Schultz’s enlightenment.

“I went there to play hockey, but we took advantage of other little things like being able to travel and things like that,” Schultz said. “I’ve always heard great things about playing overseas, and just being able to experience it is something that will be in the memory bank for the rest of my life.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2014 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Season in Germany adds depth to Thunder forward Stephen Schultz’s life."