High school and USNTDP (2000–2004) Schneider played with Marblehead High School in his freshman year before moving to Phillips Academy because of their more prestigious hockey team. In his senior year with the school, he was named the team captain. He appeared in 10 games with the under-18 club and two games in
North American Hockey League play. Going into the
2004 NHL entry draft, Schneider was the second-ranked American goaltender behind
Al Montoya and seventh North American goaltender overall by the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He was selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the
Vancouver Canucks on June 26, 2004.
Boston College (2004–2007) With the option of joining the
major junior ranks in Canada or staying in the United States to play
college hockey, Schneider prioritized getting an education and committed to the
Boston College Eagles. The following month, he was sidelined for three weeks after tearing the
medial collateral ligament of his left knee during a game against the
Harvard Crimson on February 14, 2005. he appeared in 18 games with a 1.90
goals against average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage while finishing with a record of 13 wins, 1 loss and 4 ties. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and received Boston College's Bernie Burke Outstanding Freshman Award. He made 39 saves in a double-overtime semifinal win against the
Maine Black Bears, before a 26-save performance in Boston's 3–1 final win against the
New Hampshire Wildcats. In Schneider's sophomore season, he posted a college career-high .929 save percentage and two team records of eight shutouts and 1,088 saves. At the 2006
Beanpot, he received the Eberly Trophy as the tournament's best goaltender with a .924 save percentage. In his third season with Boston College, Schneider recorded a college career-high 29 wins in 42 games, along with a 2.15 GAA and .925 save percentage. He led the Eagles to their second Lamoirello Trophy in three years, defeating New Hampshire by a 5–2 score in the final. Following his third college season, Schneider chose to forgo his senior year to turn professional. He left Boston College with a career record of 65 wins, 25 losses and 7 ties in 97 games, as well as a college career mark of 15 shutouts. He was regarded as the Canucks' third-string goalie behind
Roberto Luongo and the newly acquired backup
Curtis Sanford. Following his first NHL training camp, he was assigned to the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the
Manitoba Moose of the
American Hockey League (AHL). After a shaky start to the
2007–08 season (3–7–0 record, 3.69 GAA and .872 save percentage in 11 games), In recalling the meeting, Schneider has commented that "[Arniel] was one of the first guys to...tell me I wasn't good enough, something that I hadn't really heard a lot growing up. Sometimes it's something you need to hear." From that point on, he emerged as Manitoba's starting goalie over fellow Canucks prospect
Drew MacIntyre, He was assigned to the Moose for a second consecutive season where he continued as the minor league team's starting goalie. He received his first NHL call-up from Manitoba on November 22, 2008, following an injury to Luongo. in addition to establishing a team record with 10 straight wins. After sitting on the bench as Sanford's backup for two games, Schneider made his first NHL appearance and start on November 29 against the
Calgary Flames, making 28 saves in a 3–1 loss. He subsequently recorded his first NHL win in a 16-save, 2–1 victory against the
Minnesota Wild on December 5. After appearing in eight games for the Canucks, goaltender
Jason LaBarbera was acquired in a trade from the
Los Angeles Kings and Schneider was sent back to the Moose on January 5, 2009. During his time in Vancouver, Schneider had been named AHL Goalie of the Month for November. He was also chosen as the starting goalie for PlanetUSA for the 2009
AHL All-Star Classic. He was named Top Goaltender in the Skills Competition, then helped PlanetUSA to a 15–11 win over the Canadian All-Stars. Near the end of the season, he was chosen as AHL Player of the Week on March 30, 2009, after allowing five goals in three starts. He completed the campaign with team records of 28 wins, 2.04 GAA and .928 save percentage. Additionally the league-leader in GAA and save percentage, Schneider was awarded the
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as AHL goaltender of the year. He also received the
Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the goaltender on the team with the lowest goals against. His award-winning campaign helped the Moose to the best regular season record in the league. He finished the playoffs with a 2.15 GAA and .922 save percentage in 22 games. In September 2009, Vancouver re-signed Luongo to a 12-year extension. As such, it was widely speculated that Schneider would inevitably be traded. Less than a month into the season, Schneider received his second NHL call-up with the Canucks to back up Raycroft after Luongo was sidelined with a rib fracture on October 28, 2009. He remained with the Canucks for nearly two weeks, earning one start against the
Dallas Stars on November 6, stopping 45 shots in a 2–1 loss. Despite being the reigning goaltender of the year in the AHL and having a comparable season in
2009–10, Schneider was not named to PlanetUSA for the 2010 AHL All-Star Game. The non-selection drew public criticism from Moose head coach Arniel. Amidst a mediocre season as a team, Schneider posted a 2.51 GAA and .919 save percentage and topped his previous team record of wins in a season with 35 in 60 games. During the campaign, he also surpassed
Alex Auld on the franchise's all-time wins and games played list, finishing with 84 and 136, respectively. He made his first start of the
2010–11 season on October 18, 2010, against the
Carolina Hurricanes. He stopped 32 shots in a 5–1 win, marking his first NHL victory since December 14, 2008. Nearing the end of the regular season, the Canucks were leading the league in team GAA, putting Luongo and Schneider in contention for the
William M. Jennings Trophy. However, with a week remaining in the regular season, Schneider was two appearances short of the 25-game minimum to qualify for the Jennings (had he not reached the requirement, Luongo would have been awarded the trophy by himself). While head coach
Alain Vigneault initially dismissed the notion of playing Schneider for the sole purpose of sharing the award with Luongo, he sent Schneider in relief of Luongo with 28 seconds remaining in the third-last game of the season, a 2–0 loss to the
Edmonton Oilers for Schneider's 24th appearance. Two games later – the Canucks' last contest of the regular season – Schneider was given the start against the Calgary Flames. Needing to allow seven goals or fewer to secure the Jennings, he helped Vancouver to a 3–2 overtime win. It marked the first time in the trophy's history that it was awarded to Canucks goaltenders. Schneider completed his NHL rookie season with a 2.23 GAA and .929 save percentage in 25 games (22 starts), as well as a 16-4-2 record. His GAA tied for fourth in the league, while his save percentage ranked third and set a single-season Canucks record. Schneider made his
NHL playoff debut in Game 4 of the opening round against the
Chicago Blackhawks. With the Canucks down 6–1, Luongo was pulled in favour of Schneider in the third period. Schneider allowed one goal on seven shots, as the Blackhawks went on to win the game 7–2. After Luongo was pulled again in Game 5, Schneider was chosen to start for Game 6. Schneider allowed three goals on 20 shots; he left the game in the third period after suffering cramps during a failed attempt to stop a
penalty shot from Blackhawks' forward
Michael Frolík. The Canucks went on to lose the contest 4–3 in overtime, but won the following Game 7 with Luongo in net to advance to the second round. The Canucks would advance to the
Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. Schneider made an appearance in Game 4 stopping all shots he faced as the team would lose the game 4–0. He also appeared in Game 6, replacing Luongo in the first period after he gave up three goals on eight shots. Schneider allowed two goals in relief for the remainder of the game as the Canucks went on to lose the contest 5–2 to force a Game 7. With Schneider on the bench, Vancouver then lost Game 7 at home 4–0 for a 4–3 loss in the series, surrendering a 3–2 series lead in the process. in January 2013 Remaining as Luongo's backup for the start of the
2011–12 season, Schneider's playing time was expanded when Luongo suffered an injury in mid-November 2011. Despite Luongo's return to the lineup after missing two games, Schneider continued to earn starts due to his stellar performance. On November 28, he was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week after recording three wins in as many contests, a span that included back-to-back shutouts (on November 23 against the
Colorado Avalanche and November 25 against the
Phoenix Coyotes). Schneider finished his second full NHL season with improved numbers. Of the 33 games he played, he started 28 and compiled 20 wins and nine losses. His 1.96 GAA and .937 save percentage over 33 games ranked third and second in the NHL, respectively, while also setting Canucks team records. His GAA topped the 2.11 mark Luongo had set in 2010–11, while his save percentage bettered the .929 he had achieved, also in the previous season. The latter team record also ranked as the fourth-best ever recorded in the NHL. During the
2012 playoffs, Schneider supplanted Luongo as the team's playoff goalie. After Vancouver lost their first two games against the eighth-seeded
Los Angeles Kings 4–2 in the opening round, Vigneault started Schneider. Despite losing game three 1–0 for a 3–0 series deficit, Schneider started for the remainder of the series, which Los Angeles won four-games-to-one. In the three games he played, he recorded a 1.31 GAA and .960 save percentage. Vigneault's decision led many in the media to believe that Schneider would retain the role the following season, while Luongo would be traded. Although Luongo's contract included a
no-trade clause, he told reporters following the Canucks' defeat to the Kings that he would waive it if the team asked him to. During the off season, Schneider and the Canucks agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract. During the
2012–13 NHL lockout, Schneider played with Swiss team
HC Ambrì-Piotta of
National League A. He played in eight games and recorded a .914 save percentage. Returning to Vancouver as NHL play resumed, Schneider appeared in 30 games for the Canucks and posted a 17–9–4 record and was one of five goaltenders to tie for the NHL lead with five shutouts. He appeared in two playoff games, both losses, as the Canucks were swept out of the first round by the
San Jose Sharks.
New Jersey Devils (2013–2020) The Canucks spent a full year attempting to trade Luongo and his contract before conceding no team was willing to meet their demands. Instead, they agreed to trade Schneider to the
New Jersey Devils. The deal, completed on June 30, 2013 at the
2013 NHL entry draft, saw the ninth overall selection, which was used to select future Canucks' captain
Bo Horvat, sent to Vancouver. Schneider described the trade as "shocking", adding that after several seasons of expecting to be traded, he had finally begun to believe he would stay in Vancouver. He played his first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a 3–0 loss. Schneider split goaltending duties with veteran
Martin Brodeur during the 2013–14 season, with Schneider earning extra starts due to his performance. On July 9, 2014, Schneider signed a seven-year, $42 million contract extension with the Devils. Brodeur opted not to re-sign with New Jersey, leaving Schneider as the Devils' starting goaltender. In
2014–15, Schneider posted a .925 save percentage (the sixth best in the NHL) and a 2.26 GAA. Despite Schneider's success, the Devils missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The team won only one of their final 11 games of the season. Schneider continued to put up elite numbers for the Devils in the
2015–16 season, including a 2.15 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The Devils missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. The Devils' fortunes finally started to turn around in the
2017–18 season, with the team putting up their best start in franchise history, going 9–2–0 in their first 11 games. They also successfully returned to the
Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite performing well in the first half, a groin injury during a game on January 23 sidelined Schneider, backup
Keith Kinkaid played well down the stretch and as Schneider struggled to regain his form, Kinkaid was in goal when the Devils 2018 playoff campaign began against the
Tampa Bay Lightning. However, after Kinkaid posted a 5.87 GAA and a save percentage of .804, Schneider replaced Kinkaid late into Game 2 He returned to the Devils lineup on October 29, 2018. The 2018–19 season was eventful as Schneider registered his first win since December 27, 2017. On November 18, 2019, as a result of Schneider's struggling performance in the season, he was placed on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to New Jersey's AHL affiliate, the
Binghamton Devils. He cleared waivers the next day and was assigned to the Binghamton Devils. On October 8, 2020, after seven seasons with the Devils organization it was announced that Schneider was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the remaining two years of his contract with the club.
New York Islanders (2021–2023) On January 14, 2021, Schneider was signed to a reported one-year, $700,000 contract with the
New York Islanders. On September 21, 2021, Schneider was re-signed by the Islanders. On September 21, 2022, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Islanders. Schneider announced his retirement on September 26, 2023, after spending the
2022–23 season with New York's AHL affiliate, the
Bridgeport Islanders. ==International play==