Acceleration has always been a critical part of Schroeder's game on and off the ice. A speedy if undersized forward, the 5-foot-9 native of Burnsville, Minn., always seemed to be moving ahead of other players toward an NHL career.

From playing with older kids before he could barely tie his skates, to finishing high school early so he could enroll at the University of Minnesota, to being the youngest player and leading scorer for the United States at the 2008 World Junior Championship, Schroeder moved quickly up the hockey ladder. After scoring 62 points in 31 games as a ninth-grader to help lead St. Thomas Academy to a state championship in high school, Schroeder, at age 15, moved on to USA Hockey's National Team Development Program for two seasons. In 2007-08, his second season there, Schroeder led the Under-18 team with 53 points in 55 games.

Schroeder played for the U.S. three times at the world junior tournament. He was the youngest American on the 2008 and 2009 teams, at 17 and 18, respectively. In 2009, Schroeder led the U.S. in scoring with three goals and 11 points in six games. At the 2010 tournament, Schroeder added three goals and eight points in seven games, including a goal in the Americans' 6-5 overtime win against Canada in the gold-medal game. He finished with a record 27 career points in the tournament.

While starring with the U.S. junior squad, Schroeder also made a name for himself at the University of Minnesota. As a freshman in 2008-09, Schroeder finished second with 45 points in 35 games and was named rookie of the year by his team, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and the College Hockey News.

Still, his lack of size apparently scared off many NHL teams before the Vancouver Canucks took him at No. 22 in the 2009 NHL Draft. Schroeder, who played one more season of college hockey before going to the American Hockey League, made his NHL debut against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 23, 2013. On Feb. 9, Schroeder scored the first two goals of his NHL career against the Flames and finished the season with three goals and nine points in 31 games.

Offseason shoulder surgery and a twice-fractured left ankle limited Schroeder to six points in 25 games with Vancouver in 2013-14. Schroeder then signed a two-year contract to play in his home state with the Minnesota Wild. In 2016, he scored his first NHL playoff goal in a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round.