Cole Schwindt

Lore & Background

Schwindt played youth hockey with the Kitchener Jr. Rangers before moving to major junior with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In the 2019–20 season, he recorded a team-leading 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 57 games with Mississauga. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Panthers on April 9, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the 2020–21 season, Schwindt made his professional debut with the Syracuse Crunch, Florida's temporary AHL affiliate, registering 2 points in 10 games. He began the 2021–22 season with the Charlotte Checkers and was leading the team in goals when he received his first NHL recall on December 16, 2021, making his debut that day in a 4–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. On July 22, 2022, Schwindt was traded to the Calgary Flames as part of a blockbuster deal involving Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round pick. After finishing his entry-level contract, he signed a one-year extension with the Flames. Ahead of the 2024–25 season, he was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights on October 7, 2024. In his Vegas debut on October 11, he recorded his first NHL point, an assist on a Shea Theodore goal. He scored his first career goal on April 16, 2025, an empty-net goal in a 4–1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. As a restricted free agent, he signed a one-year extension with Vegas on July 6, 2025. On October 2, 2025, he was placed on waivers by the Golden Knights and was claimed the next day by his original team, the Florida Panthers.

Reader's Guide

Cole Schwindt's career illustrates the path of a third-round draft pick who worked through the AHL and earned NHL opportunities with three different organizations. His first NHL point and goal both came with the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2024–25 season, marking a breakthrough after years of development. The trade that sent him from Florida to Calgary in 2022 was part of a major roster reshuffle involving star players, highlighting how young prospects can be moved in high-profile deals. Schwindt's waiver claims—first by Vegas in 2024 and then back to Florida in 2025—show the fluid nature of roster management in the NHL. His signing of a one-year extension with Vegas in July 2025 as a restricted free agent indicates the team's interest in retaining him, though he was later waived. Schwindt's journey from the Kitchener Jr. Rangers through the OHL and into professional hockey reflects the typical development arc for many Canadian players, with his first NHL goal coming in the final game of the season against the Vancouver Canucks.

Did You Know?

• Cole Schwindt was born in Breslau, Ontario, Canada, and grew up as the oldest of three boys, all of whom play hockey.
• He was selected 81st overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
• Schwindt recorded his first NHL point on October 11, 2024, with an assist on a Shea Theodore goal in his Vegas Golden Knights debut.
• He scored his first career NHL goal on April 16, 2025, an empty-net goal in a 4–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.