Hockey has been a big part of life in the Schwab household throughout the years. Pictured Left: Corey Schwab holding Austin in his arms after winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the New Jersey Devils in 2003. Top right: Corey and Austin, summer 2020. Bottom right: Corey and Austin circa 2013. (submitted photos/Corey Schwab)

By Martin Martinson

Like Father, like Son

The Schwabs: a family legacy between the pipes

Apr 18, 2020 | 2:00 PM

The apple doesn’t fall far from the goal-crease. Or at least, that’s the way it looks in the Schwab household.

At just 18 years of age, Austin Schwab is coming off a standout rookie year with the Battlefords North Stars. His 2019-20 season saw the Snohomish, WA., product post a sterling 13-3 record to go along with a 2.70 goals-against average and .916 save percentage through 16 games with the team.

For hockey fans in the Battlefords though, this season was far from the first time the community had seen sparkling numbers from a ‘Schwab’ between the pipes.

After all, Austin’s father, Corey Schwab grew up in North Battleford playing goal from a young age. The community’s streets are the ones he took to school; and the local rinks, are where he honed his craft at the grassroots level.

It was in the Battlefords that the elder Schwab began a hockey journey that would lead to additional stops across the border in Seattle, Cincinnati and Utica on his way to an NHL career spanning just under 150 games split between the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

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While the nameplate on the back of their jerseys may be the most obvious similarity between the two, it’s not the only thing the Schwab goalies share. The goaltending position may have seen various technical advancements over the years, but Corey said watching Austin play, he sees a similar competitive fire to his own.

“I would say probably just his level of compete and battling [is similar],” he said. “I think that’s just one of the characteristics that I had as a young goalie and even as a pro (…) just the level of competitiveness and to be able to battle and find a way to make saves. That’s a big part of if a goalie’s going to be successful.”

Austin said while he was too young to watch his day play live, he has seen footage from his career and would consider his own style a mix of his father and a more modern-brand of goalie; adding with an audible smile, “every now and then I’ll pull out a vintage save, but I try to stick with what I know, and what comes natural to me.”

These days, Corey is the goaltending coach of the Arizona Coyotes, and while there may have been just under 3,000 km between the pair during the hockey season, he still made sure to catch the Stars’ games whenever he could using the online stream. He has also remained available anytime, as a sounding board for Austin, regardless of a game’s end result.

“There are definitely a few things we talk about but I try not to be too involved with it because it’s [Austin’s] career and he’s going to have to figure things out,” Corey said. “I kind of have the same approach as a goalie coach too; you can’t be told everything every situation, every little minute detail. You can give them some guidelines and different things to focus on, but you have to be able to have a clear mind when you’re going out there playing and you can’t overthink. You have to be able to instinctively react.”

And while his parents were always available via call or text, the family’s ties to the Battlefords community also came in handy for Austin this season. Moving to Canada for the first time, he was able to stay with his grandparents, Ken and Arlene Schwab, in a unique family-billet situation offering him a true home away from home throughout the winter.

Being able to stay with his grandparents is something the 18-year-old said was a real highlight of his first season with the Stars, adding, “It was awesome to have my grandparents there; they really helped me through the year [and] made it a lot easier to adjust to the new environment.”

Austin, pictured here with his grandparents, Ken and Arlene Schwab on billet appreciation night at the Civic Centre. (submitted photo/Corey Schwab)

While Corey Schwab’s resume includes a number of big games and high-pressure moments, he joked that being on the other end of things, now as a father watching his son play, can make him even more nervous than back when he was the one suiting up.

“[Watching the games] I think back to my own parents, and for that matter all my friends and family that have followed my career, and I see what they were going through now,” Corey said with a laugh. “As the last line of defence you don’t want the person to make a mistake, but I’ve found a way to watch the games and just enjoy them. As a parent, it’s definitely a proud feeling to know the time that I’ve spent with Austin growing up has just helped as he’s achieved the next level of his career that he was striving to get to.”

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1