Cory Schneider

Early life

Schneider was born to Susan and Richard Schneider in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. He began playing hockey around age six, trying out for the same team as his older brother, Geoff, but did not become a regular goaltender until age 11 because the Marblehead Youth Hockey teams rotated the position. At 15, he started training with goalie coach Brian Daccord, who now owns Stop It Goaltending, a company in which Schneider owns a small percentage.

Growing up, he admired New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter and wore jersey number 35 in his honor. Schneider attended Marblehead High School and later Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he also played varsity baseball for two years. After graduating, he received the Yale Bowl and the Boston Bruins' John Carlton Memorial Trophy for scholarship and athletics. At Boston College, he majored in finance in the Carroll School of Management, was named to two Hockey East All-Academic Teams, and received the Paul Patrick Daley Student-Athlete Scholarship in 2006.

He was inducted into the Friends of Marblehead Hockey Hall of Fame on August 18, 2008, as the only born-and-raised native drafted into the NHL. Due to his father's ancestry, he holds both American and Swiss citizenship.

Playing career

Schneider played for Marblehead High School as a freshman before transferring to Phillips Academy for its more prestigious hockey team. As a senior captain, he posted 17 wins and 4 losses with a .960 save percentage, leading the team to the New England Prep School semifinals, and was a two-time All-New England selection. That year he also joined the United States National Team Development Program, appearing in 10 games with the under-18 club and two in the North American Hockey League.

In the 2004 NHL entry draft, he was the second-ranked American goaltender and seventh North American goaltender overall by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, and was selected 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks on June 26, 2004. Choosing college hockey over major junior in Canada, he committed to Boston College, also considering Harvard and Cornell. Boston College coach Jerry York initially planned to have Schneider play Junior A in the USHL, but a scholarship opened when forward Adam Pineault left for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and York kept Schneider on the roster.

In his college debut, he made 23 saves in a 3–2 win against UMass Lowell and was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on October 19, 2004. He recorded his first college shutout against Yale on January 11, 2005, but was sidelined for three weeks after tearing the medial collateral ligament of his left knee on February 14, 2005. Splitting duties with senior Matti Kaltiainen, he appeared in 18 games with a 1.90 GAA and .916 save percentage, finishing 13–1–4, and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and received Boston College's Bernie Burke Outstanding Freshman Award.

International play

Schneider represented the United States at the 2003 U-18 Junior World Cup in Břeclav, Czech Republic, and Piešťany, Slovakia. Sharing goaltending duties with Ian Keserich, he started the gold medal game against Russia, making 32 saves in a 3–2 win as the team went undefeated for the country's first gold medal in the tournament's history. At the 2004 IIHF World U18 Championships in Minsk, Belarus, he recorded the third-best GAA (1.71) and second-best save percentage (.929) en route to a silver medal, losing the gold medal game 3–2 to Russia.

USA Hockey named him the David Peterson Goalie of the Year for leading the team to two medals in the 2003–04 season. In August 2004, he attended the U.S. National Junior Team Evaluation Camp in Grand Forks, North Dakota. At the 2005 World Junior Championships in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, Minnesota, he backed up Al Montoya and started one preliminary game against Belarus, but was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots in a 5–3 loss.

The United States lost the semifinal to Russia 7–2 and the bronze medal game 3–2 in overtime to the Czech Republic. After a second summer evaluation camp in Lake Placid, New York, Schneider became the starter for the 2006 World Junior Championships in British Columbia, Canada. He was named U.S. player of the game in a 2–2 tie against Switzerland, making 22 saves, and again in the quarterfinal, stopping 30 shots in a 2–1 win over the Czech Republic.

The United States lost the semifinal to Russia and the bronze medal game to Finland. He appeared in six games with a 2.67 GAA and .912 save percentage, fifth among tournament goaltenders.

Playing style

Schneider is a butterfly-style goaltender who drops to his knees with his skates turned out and pads together to seal off the lower net. He started refining that approach at age 15 under consultant Brian Daccord. When he became the Canucks’ full-time backup in 2010–11, he adapted his game under goalie coach Roland Melanson, who had him play shallower in the crease. That change demanded more athleticism on initial saves but improved his readiness for rebounds and passes across the slot. His size and athleticism stand out as key assets. Moose coach Scott Arniel also highlighted Schneider’s knack for reading plays early and getting into position before the puck arrives.