Nathan Smith (ice hockey, born 1998)

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Nathan Smith
Born (1998-10-19) October 19, 1998 (age 24)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Arizona Coyotes
Tucson Roadrunners (AHL)
National team  United States
NHL Draft 91st overall, 2018
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2022–present

Nathan Smith is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a member of United States national team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1]

Playing career[]

Smith 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 come to an abrupt end.[2]

After the end of his freshman year was cancelled, Smith's sophomore season was delayed by over a month. In spite of 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 found themselves down 1–3 with under 10 minutes to play. Smith scored to cut the lead in half and began a tremendous comeback by MSU that left to the program's first tournament win at the Division I level.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] One day later on April 12, 2022, Smith made his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils.

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.[7] Less than a month later, Smith was named to the team.[8] 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 Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 Aberdeen Wings NAHL 4 1 1 2 18 — — — — —
2017–18 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 51 17 30 47 84 — — — — —
2018–19 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 59 18 35 53 81 4 0 1 1 12
2019–20 Minnesota State WCHA 35 9 18 27 37 — — — — —
2020–21 Minnesota State WCHA 28 9 16 25 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Minnesota State CCHA 38 19 31 50 43 — — — — —
2021–22 Arizona Coyotes NHL 10 2 2 4 2 — — — — —
NHL totals 10 2 2 4 2 — — — — —

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 United States OG 5th 4 1 1 2 2
Senior totals 4 1 1 2 2

Awards and honors[]

Award Year
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2019–20 [9]
All-WCHA Second Team 2020–21 [10]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2021 [11]
CCHA Forward of the year 2021–22 [12]
All-CCHA First Team 2021–22
AHCA West First Team All-American 2021–22 [13]

References[]

  1. ^ "United States". IIHF. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Remainder Of WCHA Postseason Cancelled". wcha.com. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "#8 Nathan Smith". College Hockey Inc. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "Coyotes acquire Little, Smith from Jets for 2022 4th round draft pick". Arizona Coyotes. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Coyotes sign Smith to two-year, entry-level contract". Arizona Coyotes. April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "WCHA Announces 2019-20 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. ^ "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  11. ^ "UMass Hockey Wins National Championship". UMass. April 15, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Six players earn All-CCHA First Team honors". CCHA. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Award Created
 CCHA Forward of the Year
2021–22 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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