NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY | Tuesday, February 2nd - 2021: The Niagara University Purple Eagles are excited to announce the latest addition to their 2021-2022 ACHA Division 1 roster. Defenseman Quinn Schneidmiller, who spent the bulk of his junior career captaining the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, has signed on for the next 4 years. Late in the 2019-2020 season, Schneidmiller took a trade from Kirkland Lake to Timmins in hopes to pursue a deep playoff run until an upper-body injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. The incredibly mobile, play-making defenseman ended his Junior ‘A’ career with 48 points in 104 games played and is expected to take on a fair amount of responsibility, right out of the gate, next season.

Head Coach Tom Mooradian had this to say about the newest Purple Eagle on Monte Eagle Ridge:

“Quinn Schneidmiller is the type of player that can find success in virtually every area of the ice. Offensively, he possesses a very dynamic skillset that allows him to generate scoring opportunities from the back-end. He skates, sees the ice and moves the puck extremely well. It’s funny, the more time we spent watching his game-film, the more we realized that his finesse almost camouflages his intelligence. He’s simply one of those guys that makes the right play each and every shift look effortless. From the crease out, he’s a nightmare for opponents in the sense that he very seldom makes a mistake and eats some serious minutes. When I originally spoke with [Timmins] Rock GM Kevin Peever, he informed me that the reason they traded for him at the end of last season was simply because they wanted a defenseman that teams hated to play against … someone to frustrate opponents by doing everything the right way. I think that just about sums up Schneids, in a nutshell. We’re very happy to add him into the mix of prospects we have in our defensive ranks and confident that he’ll enjoy success both academically and athletically, here at Niagara.”

Schneidmiller is set to start the season off paired alongside former NOJHL alumni and fellow freshman, Connor Loft. With Schneidmiller’s commitment, the Purple Eagles have completed their defensive remodel after the graduation of David Hazelet & Gibson Stuart in 2020 / Logen Field & Kyle Clifford in 2021. The newly re-vamped Niagara defense will be led by senior-to-be and Alternate Captain, Dan Smolka, who will be entering his 5th season as a member of the Niagara University Purple Eagles. Smolks will be the only returning defenseman from the team’s 2019-2020 Championship run as a wave of new talent is set to compliment him nicely in 2021-2022.

Quinn Schneidmiller on his decision to pursue Niagara:

“Niagara University’s professionalism when it came to recruiting was one of the main reasons I chose to commit. The level of communication and transparency when it came to making a decision was incredibly helpful. I’m excited to make an impact with the club and also take my education to the next level at NU!”

Covid-19 has taken a major chunk out of Niagara’s hockey protocol over the last 11 months. However, it’s evident that they’re doing everything they can to ensure an optimal compete level once they do eventually return to game-action in September of this year. As of last week, the team has resumed on-ice workouts in a limited capacity, here at Dwyer Arena. They are set to return to full-team practices at the beginning of next week, barring any changes in Covid-19 protocol. Follow our social media pages for the latest team updates as we navigate through the back-half of this year. [@NUachaD1]