Nathan Smith (ice hockey, born 1998)

Last updated
Nathan Smith
Nathan Smith (ice hockey) (cropped).jpg
Smith with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2023
Born (1998-10-19) October 19, 1998 (age 26)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Vancouver Canucks
Abbotsford Canucks  (AHL)
Arizona Coyotes
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft 91st overall, 2018
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2022–present

Nathan Smith (born October 19, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Arizona Coyotes. He was a member of the United States national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics. [1]

Contents

Playing career

Growing up in Florida, Smith initially played roller hockey before switching to ice hockey when he was 10 with the Tampa Scorpions youth program. [2] He was a high-scoring forward in junior hockey, leading the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders for two consecutive years. Despite being taken by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2018 NHL Draft, he remained in juniors for another year before beginning his college career. He debuted for Minnesota State in 2019 and provided second-line scoring for a team that was ranked #1 for a time during the season. Minnesota State entered the postseason as one of the favorites to contend for a national title. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Mavericks' season to end abruptly. [3]

After the end of his freshman year was canceled, Smith's sophomore season was delayed by over a month. Despite the upheaval, Smith put up good numbers and finished second on the team in scoring. In the Mavericks' first game of the NCAA Tournament, they were down 1–3 with under 10 minutes to play. Smith scored to cut the lead in half, which began a tremendous comeback by MSU that led to the program's first tournament win at the Division I level. [4] After scoring a goal in Minnesota State's 4–0 win over Minnesota, he added two more on the power play against St. Cloud State in the national semifinal. While it wasn't enough to get the Mavericks a win, it did earn him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

At the start of his junior season in 2021–22, Smith began scoring in bunches. By the end of December, he was leading the nation in scoring. [5] He would finish the season, placing second in league-wide scoring having registered 19 goals and 50 points in 38 games with Minnesota State. He helped the Mavericks reach the Frozen Four championship game against the University of Denver and was a Hobey Baker top 10 finalist.

On March 21, 2022, Smith's NHL rights were traded by the Jets, along with the contract of Bryan Little, to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2022 fourth-round draft pick. [6] At the conclusion of his junior season, Smith was immediately signed by the Coyotes to a two-year, entry-level contract on April 11, 2022. [7] One day later on April 12, 2022, Smith made his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils. [8] He registered his first NHL point setting up a Nick Ritchie goal in a 5–3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on April 19. [9] He scored his first NHL goal on April 20 against Kevin Lankinen in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. [10] He finished the season with Arizona playing in ten games, scoring two goals and four points. [11]

Smith spent the majority of the 2022–23 season with the Coyotes' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He was recalled by Arizona in March. [11] He appeared in four games before being sent back to the Roadrunners. [12] In the offseason, Smith signed on a one-year, two-way contract with Arizona on July 8. [13] Smith was assigned to the AHL at the start of the 2023–24 season. [14] He spent the entire season in Tucson, scoring 12 goals and 31 points in 60 games. He also appeared in one playoff game in the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. [15]

As an unrestricted free agent following the 2023–24 season, Smith signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 1, 2024. [15] During training camp, Smith went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned to Vancouver's AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks for the 2024–25 season. [16]

International play

In the midst of a standout junior collegiate season, Smith was as a prime target for the United States national team when the NHL announced that it would not be sending its players to Beijing for the Winter Olympics. [17] Less than a month later, Smith was named to the team. [18] In a fifth-place finish with Team USA, Smith contributed 1 goal and 2 points through 4 games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2016–17 Aberdeen Wings NAHL 411218—————
2017–18 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 5117304784—————
2018–19 Cedar Rapids RoughRidersUSHL5918355381401112
2019–20 Minnesota State WCHA 359182737—————
2020–21 Minnesota StateWCHA289162516—————
2021–22 Minnesota State CCHA 3819315043—————
2021–22 Arizona Coyotes NHL 102242—————
2022–23 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 641215273710000
2022–23 Arizona CoyotesNHL40004—————
2023–24 Tucson RoadrunnersAHL6012193138—————
NHL totals142246—————

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2022 United States OG 5th41122
Senior totals41122

Awards and honors

AwardYear
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2019–20 [19]
All-WCHA Second Team 2020–21 [20]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2021 [21]
CCHA Forward of the year 2021–22 [22]
All-CCHA First Team 2021–22
AHCA West First Team All-American 2021–22 [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "United States". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ Encina, Eduardo A. (February 5, 2022). "Tampa Bay area hockey player searching for Olympic gold". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Remainder Of WCHA Postseason Cancelled". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Minnesota State Mavericks men's Hockey 2018-19 Record Book" (PDF). Minnesota State Mavericks. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  5. ↑ "#8 Nathan Smith". College Hockey Inc. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Coyotes acquire Little, Smith from Jets for 2022 4th round draft pick". Arizona Coyotes. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Coyotes sign Smith to two-year, entry-level contract". Arizona Coyotes. April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Zetterlund, Bahl score 1st NHL goals as Devils down Coyotes". ESPN. Associated Press. April 13, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Coyotes' Nathan Smith: First NHL point". CBS Sports. April 19, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  10. ↑ "DeBrincat scores in last minute of OT, Chicago beats Arizona". ESPN. Associated Press. April 21, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Coyotes' Nathan Smith: Summoned by Coyotes". CBS Sports. March 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Nathan Smith Assigned to Tucson Roadrunners". Tucson Roadrunners. April 1, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ Mastey, Remy (July 9, 2023). "Coyotes Headline Weekend With Nathan Smith Signing". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Roadrunners Announce Training Camp Roster". Tucson Roadrunners. October 3, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Canucks Agree to Terms with Forward Nate Smith on a One-Year, Two-Way Contract". Vancouver Canucks. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024– via NHL.com.
  16. ↑ McGoey, Steven (October 1, 2024). "Vancouver Canucks Assign Nine Players to Abbotsford Canucks". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  17. ↑ "NHL announces players won't be allowed to go to Olympics". Associated Press. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Team USA announce men's ice hockey team for Beijing 2022". Associated Press. January 14, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  19. ↑ "WCHA Announces 2019-20 All-League Teams". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. March 10, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  21. ↑ "UMass Hockey Wins National Championship". University of Massachusetts. April 15, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Six players earn All-CCHA First Team honors". Central Collegiate Hockey Association. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Award Created
 CCHA Forward of the Year
2021–22 		Succeeded by
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