Though his family emigrated to Canada when he was an infant, Schriner was the first Russian-born player[note 1] in NHL history. He grew up in Calgary, where he played baseball in addition to hockey, and returned to the city following his career. He often assisted players at the University of Calgary; the Canada West Universities Athletic Association awards the David "Sweeney" Schriner Trophy to its top scorer each season.\n', '

Schriner was born in Saratov in the Russian Empire; however, his family emigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada when he was a month old. He was a natural athlete and in his youth played football and soccer competitively, but was especially fond of hockey and baseball. His hero growing up was a semi-professional baseball player by the name of Bob Sweeney. Schriner emulated Sweeney\'s playing style and as a result earned the nickname "L\'il Sweeney", later shortened to just "Sweeney". Schriner preferred his nickname so much that he refused to respond to anyone who addressed him by his given name of David.\n', '

He learned the game of hockey on Calgary\'s outdoor rinks and played his minor hockey in the city. Schriner was a member of the Calgary Canadians junior team that appeared in the Memorial Cup playdowns in both 1930 and 1931, before he turned to senior hockey with the Calgary Bronks. He was a top scorer in the Alberta Senior Hockey League; his 19 goals and 22 points in 1931–32 and 22 goals and 26 points in 1932–33 were all league-leading totals.\n', '

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