| Carter Schade | Lincoln Stars | USHL | L | D | 5’11” | 196 | Penn State | 2021 | Mars, PA | 2003 | 2020-2021: C+ |
USHL: Sioux Falls Stampede vs Lincoln Stars, February 15, 2021: Schade played a quality game for the Stars, doing his best work defending the rush and working in his own zone to win pucks and start the breakout. He used his feet well to evade forecheckers and start moving the puck up ice. The Penn State commit plays the game with his head up and likes to send long passes to his forwards streaking up the ice. In the offensive zone, he works the blueline well and throws in shot fakes to create space for himself to make plays. Overall, Schade played a solid game for the Stars and did a good job of moving the puck up ice and playing fast from the back end. Grade: B+
USHL: Waterloo vs Lincoln, December 30, 2020: Schade is a mobile defenseman that anticipates the play well and is aggressive on the offensive blueline. Schade looked really smooth with the puck on his stick and room to work, showing off his edges as he skated up ice. Schade also has good vision, which he uses to break his team out of their own and to distribute while carrying the puck through the neutral zone. On the offensive blueline Schade is always looking to read the play and jump down to pinch. On a number of occasions Schade read the play effectively and was able to step by the winger on the boards and intercept the puck, especially if it was rimmed on the boards. Schade would then look immediately to offense, trying to funnel the puck towards the net. In his own zone Schade is sound positionally. He can get outmuscled on the puck but his hockey sense and positioning usually make up for the lack of physicality. Overall, Schade is a good mobile defenseman that is at his best with the puck on his stick and room to work. Grade: B
USHL: Lincoln Stars vs Sioux Falls Stampede, November 28, 2020: Ian Moran’s comments Carter’s defensive play: Carter was really strong in front of his net. He worked to have early body position and keep the Stampede’s forwards on the wrong side of the puck. He read cycles quickly, worked switches smoothly and his stick was strong while battling in the corners. I liked how active he was in the offensive zone. Carter showed high level game awareness and anticipation when pinching to extend offensive zone time and was effective when activating in the high cycle. His anticipation also allowed him to intercept multiple passes in the neutral zone and create quick transition. He had a nice active stick while killing penalties, maintained shooting lanes and blocked shots.
ECC Labor Day U16, September 2019: Schade was easily the best of the bunch amongst the skilled defenders for the Penguins. He is listed at 5’8 188 but truth be told he plays far bigger than his listed roster size. There was a comment made amongst a group of scouts during his playoff game that rang the most true for this write-up: “the way he hits people he will be lucky if he doesn’t get arrested”. He is a strong defender who will continue to grow and wreak havoc in every game he plays. He knows when to step up and sit down a forward and when to pull back and use his space effectively when he has the puck. He was also able to swivel his hips and create more chances offensively and give himself more time defensively. He processes the game at a speed a notch quicker than most of the defenders we saw this weekend and that puts him one step ahead of you mentally. He may only be listed at 5’8 but truthfully he plays as though he is 6’ tall or more because of how strong he is on his skates. He doesn’t look to simply make a hit to separate man from puck; he wants to punish the puck carrier. Very fun to watch. Grade: A- College: Penn State
Select 16’s USA Hockey National Camp, July 2019: Schade is a well known defensemen who committed to Penn St. as a Bantam. He is really strong in every way. His skating is balanced, strong and he is really tough to knock down or off the puck. He has an edge to his game as he plays physical and will take every chance to knock a player down with authority. He read the rush well and stepped up at his blue line. Also, he knows when to attack opposing forwards as the fumble with a puck, move laterally or have their head down. He blocked shots and competed hard. There were times he tried to do too much and got caught up ice. For example, he dumped a puck and then went in to become F1 on the forecheck. He moved the puck well but he is not a true puck mover as his skill level is not truly elite with the puck. His hands are strong and deceptive and he can make people miss but he tried it too often here. Made one great backcheck where he knocked a player over hard, so he does have the ability to recover. He wasted a lot of energy as he went up and down the ice a lot. His focus has to start in his end and let the offensive stuff come to him. He was good in the offensive zone as he showed a heavy slap and snap shot. He moved in and out from the blue which we liked and carried laterally to create. He shot to tips and created rebounds. He played a man’s game, hard and tough to play against in his end, but wore himself out most shifts trying to do it all. Schade is still one of the very best 2003 defensemen in the country, but he must understand when to go and when to stay at home. College: Penn State Grade: B
U16 USA Hockey Nationals, May 2019: Schade is an intriguing prospect who was one of the leaders on the backend of the national championship team as an ’03. He’s a strong, powerful skater who plays a solid two-way game. He has elusive stick skill and can carry the puck end to end and create offense from the blue line. Defensively he has a strong stick to win battles and plays a physical game. He has an edge that makes him tough to play against and his compact frame and balance allow him to defend both big power forwards and smaller speedy forwards. He is a deceptive passer who can snap it off instantly and stretch the ice with long range passes from his own end to create odd man rushes or even breakaways. He’s a complete player which makes him a coveted prospect but he’ll need to improve his agility and quickness as his stride is a bit stiff. He was particularly effective on special teams units with his powerful shot he keeps low and gets through traffic and his ability to breakdown defenders 1v1 and attack the slot with the pass. He tallied 2 goals and 3 assists over 6 games. College: Penn State
NTDP Evaluation Camp Report, March 2019: Schade had a strong tryout and showed several dimensions of his game, more specifically his offensive skill and puck handling ability which were eye opening for us. He’s a strong, powerful skater but stiff and lacks ideal agility for the modern defenseman. He rushed the puck a lot here and was constantly joining the offensive attack using his stickhandling and firm passes to create odd man rushes. He’s tough and strong in the corners, he wins a high percentage of battles and comes out of scrums with possession. He has a heavy one-timer and a quick, hard snap shot from the point he can get off quickly if pressured. He scored a nice goal on a snap shot from the faceoff dot that beat the goaltender clean and he had several quality chances from the point. He has deceptively anticipation skill defensively and strong stick around the net to knock opponents off pucks, lift sticks and win 50/50 pucks. However, what most stood out here was his offensive aspect, he was constantly involved and carrying pucks through the neutral zone and making opponents miss which is impressive given he’s not an elite skater. College: Penn State
USHL: U16 Fall Classic, October 2018: Carter showed off his strong two way game as he defended the rush extremely well and made the first pass with precision. He was calm under pressure and moved the puck up ice. When on the attack he supported rushes and got pucks through from the blue line while in zone. He led his team with efficiency and by example. Very responsible and a player who can be trusted in all situations. USNTDP Top 40 Candidate. College: Penn State
U14 Nationals, April 2018: Carter was one of the best all-around players in North Carolina. His diversity of skills is impressive. He is big and tough. Defended with a heavy stick and finished off opposing forwards with hard, clean hits. Went back well for pucks and can carry or pass from his end with either simple or clever plays. Kept his gaps tight in the middle zone and moved well to squeeze off the rush. Mobility and recovery speed are both very good. Up ice, he showed he could create on the line rush and was willing to push up ice and create a second wave. In the offensive zone, he quarterbacked the PP, walked the blue line to create and showed great vision. Can slide and snap pucks to the net with ease and with a purpose. Tough to play against as he played a heavy/physical game with and edge and skill up the ice.