Smith excited for long-awaited debut
Colton Smith, a 2020 Knights draft pick, is looking to provide some scoring punch for London this season — while helping his teammates shine.
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
The experience had been delayed by a year. That didn’t make it any less special, though, and when Colton Smith took the ice for the first time as an OHL player, he soaked it all in.
It was September 3, and the Knights – for the first time since March 2020 – were back to playing hockey, the occasion being their first preseason game of the 2021 season.
“I remember walking out for warmups and looking up, and I just thought about all the OHL games I’ve watched, and then remembering that I’m finally here,” said Smith, one of nine rookies to make their Knights debut that night, Sept. 3, against the Sarnia Sting. “It was obviously really cool being a part of that, especially with such a great group of guys.”
And it didn’t take Smith long to make his mark. Ahead 1-0 in the second period – in front of a (COVID) capacity crowd of 1,000 – the 17-year-old knocked home his first goal as a Knight 4:58 into the second period.
The following night, on the road in Sarnia, Smith opened the scoring just over 11 minutes into the contest, and then scored again a mere 12 seconds later in an eventual 6-3 London win, the first for the 2021 team.
Then came Smith’s favourite part: celebrating a win in the locker room. It’s what he relishes most – whether it’s bantam minor hockey or the OHL.
“You’re in the room with all the guys, everybody’s happy, and it’s just a great time being around all the boys that you know have your back at all times,” Smith said. “I think that’s the coolest thing, and what I’m looking forward to most going into the (regular season).”
Smith, a 2020 Knights draft pick (second round, 25th overall), finished the preseason with six points (three goals and three assists), tying Stuart Rolofs and Sean McGurn for second-most on the team (fellow rookie Denver Barkey had seven points). His 16 shots on goal were second only to Landon Sim.
Scoring is nothing new to Smith, who tallied 25 goals (and 22 assists) for 47 points in 41 games during his minor midget season with the Kanata Lasers in 2019-2020, his last full season of play.
“I find my best skills are in the offensive zone, trying to score goals and help my team score. I want to be a guy that the coaches can look at when we need a goal.
“But,” Smith says, “I also want to be a guy who, when we’re up one with a minute left, can help us keep the puck out of our net. I know Dale (Hunter, the Knights’ head coach) likes defense, so that’s what I’m going to have to work on to gain his trust. But I think the harder you work, you can get there.”
Smith is known as a high energy player, and he’s not afraid to mix things up. At 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, he’s a sizable player on the ice, and he brings grit to his game.
“I like being involved in everything that goes on, and I like sticking up for my teammates,” he said. “We’ve got a couple smaller younger guys, and they know I’ve got their back. I talked to them all at the rink, and I feel they can play their best when they know our guys got their back.”
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Like all OHL players, Colton Smith lost an entire season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some players opted to travel overseas and play in pro leagues in various locales, while others remained in the country and honed their games through on- and off-ice training. Smith chose the latter, and he had a clear plan while the league was on hiatus.
Prior to the 2020 season, Smith says, Dale and Mark (Hunter, the Knights’ general manager) told the youngster they wanted him to work on his skating and building strength. So, that’s exactly what he did.
“I wasn’t too worried about other skills on the ice, it was pretty much skating,” Smith said, “and then the harder I worked in the gym, the easier everything else got for me.”
He trained at the Bell Sensplex, the Ottawa Senators’ practice facility – and the rink where he played his home games in minor midget, and he worked out a lot with fellow Knights player Ben Bujold, London’s top draft pick in 2020 (and a former Lasers teammate). When back in Windsor, his hometown, Smith skated with his long-time trainers, Andy Paquette and Danny Anger.
“Those are my go-to guys at home. They really know what we want,” Smith said. “But I was in Ottawa for most of the time. With my dad up in Ottawa, there was a lot of ice available for me, so that’s where I thought it was best to be.”
Colton’s dad happens to be the head coach of the NHL’s Senators.
D.J. Smith, who enjoyed his own OHL career – and a few stints in the NHL before moving behind the bench – was hired by the Senators before the 2019-2020 season after spending four years as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s a unique experience being a young hockey player whose dad is an NHL coach. On the plus side, he got to be the hero at Lasers’ practices two years ago, doling out tickets to teammates to attend Thursday night Senators home games. But it’s also come with the expected chirps from opponents (“probably from every team I’ve played against the last five years, Smith says.”). But he doesn’t let it rattle him. He’s a young man full of confidence, and, perhaps most importantly, he’s focused only on the task at hand.
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Winning is Colton Smith’s priority.
That means helping, in any way he can, lead the London Knights to victories during the 2021-22 season, which officially begins Friday night at Budweiser Gardens. Prior to last year’s lost season, the Knights were in first place in their Conference – and primed for an OHL championship run – when the sports world shut down due to COVID in March 2020.
There are a lot of unknowns with so much time away.
“Because nobody got to play last year, players don’t really know what to expect from themselves,” Smith said. “I think we’re a younger team, but we’ve got a lot of skilled guys who are going to keep getting better all year long. And we’re in good hands with Dale and Mark.
“I want to help get our team to the playoffs and see if we can make a deep run.”
Smith is still getting acclimated to the culture within the London Knights organization, and he’s adjusting to arriving two and half hours before games – rather than the one hour before games in minor midget. He’s also learning from the older players, taking notice of their routines and game preparation.
He says he doesn’t have any specific statistical goals for himself this season, but certainly a strong year on the ice would get the attention of NHL scouts and put him in a position to get drafted next spring.
Of course, that’s a long way away. There’s an entire season to play. But, the hypothetical has to be asked: Imagine being drafted by the Sens and playing for your dad in the NHL?
“I don’t know if my dad would want to see me that much, to be honest,” Smith said, jokingly. “I think just having to hear from me on the phone is enough for him.
“Obviously, it would be cool to play for my dad, so hopefully one day we’ll get the chance. But, you know, I think I’d rather play against him.”
Colton will get the chance, in a way, to compete against his dad this season, as the youngster has seen his old man’s stats from D.J.’s OHL career with the Windsor Spitfires (during his best season, the senior Smith compiled 67 points in 63 games in 1996-97). What does he think?
“I’ll try and beat his points. I think it’ll be pretty hard to beat his penalty minutes … but I think his points can be beaten, for sure.”
But Smith’s sole focus now is on helping the Knights get off to a good start in the return-from-pandemic 2021-22 season, and he’s pumped to get things going.
“It’s obviously been a long wait. I know the guys are super excited to play a game that’s finally a real game. It’s going to be fun for all of us.”
Knight Watch: London won two of three last weekend without its stars; Big trade brings key defenceman to the Forest City; Goaltending duo continues to shine; It’s Erie Wednesday, Sarnia at home Friday …