Lightning trade Roman Schmidt to Flyers for Ethan Samson
The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded defenseman Roman Schmidt to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Ethan Samson, the clubs announced Monday evening.
Schmidt and Samson are both 22-year-old right-handed defenders who are currently in the final years of their respective entry-level contracts. Both players have spent the entirety of their professional careers to date in the American Hockey League.
We have acquired defenseman Ethan Samson from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Roman Schmidt.
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A third-round pick (No. 96 overall) of the Lightning in the 2021 NHL Draft, Schmidt has skated in 13 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch to start the 2025-26 regular season, collecting one assist. The Midland, Michigan product stands 6’5″ and weighs 225 pounds.
Samson, who hails from Delta, B.C., is midway through his third professional season. The 6’1″, 180-pound righty has four assists in 10 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year; he collected 12 goals and 24 points in 69 games with the Phantoms in the 2024-25 regular season. Another 2021 draftee, Samson joined the Flyers by way of the No. 174 overall pick that year.
While Samson is primarily an offensive-minded defender, Schmidt has always been more of a stay-at-home type dating back to his time with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and Kingston Frontenacs. He’ll be counted upon to provide more of the same with a Lehigh Valley team that has struggled at times to keep the puck out of its net this year.
Meanwhile, Syracuse has lost most of its top offensive defenseman to NHL recalls as the Lightning have battled to stay afloat amidst a rash of injuries. Despite his lesser draft pedigree, Samson should slot in as one of the top puck-moving rearguards on a depleted Crunch roster.
Lehigh Valley and Syracuse both currently rank third in their respective AHL divisions, with the Phantoms sitting at 12-8-3 and the Crunch boasting a 13-8-1 record. Lehigh Valley’s most notable NHL prospects include Alex Bump, Denver Barkey, and Carson Bjarnason; Syracuse’s lineup features Jakob Pelletier, Conor Geekie, and Dylan Duke.